Chase the Sunset Beyond These Seas
by Ellen-Thalia
Summary: What would have happened if Emma had never given Henry up? How would August get her to Storybrooke? When they do get there, what will Emma do about the Mayor trying to run her out of town, and connection she feels to the handsome blue eyed cook at Granny's? [Cursed!Killian] [Eventual Captain Swan]
1. Prologue

_**Hi there,**_

_**It's been a while since I wrote a fanfiction (other than the oneshot I posted a few weeks ago) and I don't have the best track record with updating (sorry existing followers) but this time I'm determined! Hopefully my amazing beta JJ will help keep me on track too.**_

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><p><strong>Summary: What would have happened if Emma had never given Henry up? How would August get her to Storybrooke? And when they did get there, what would Emma make of the sticky fingered, one handed waiter at Granny's?<strong>

**Title: _'Chase the sunset across these seas'_ (A lyric taken from the song _Proof is Better Than a Promise _by Speaking in Shadows, check them out on youtube!)**

**Beta'd by J-J-Sawyer-Phillips, you should all check out her stories - she's kind of a genius**

**Pairings: Eventual Captain Swan with platonic, friendship/family Wooden Swan and mentions of other canon pairings.**

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own Once Upon A Time, or any of the characters. Alas I cannot pay any claim to the utter sexiness that is Killian Jones/Hook/Colin O'Donoghue :(**

**Enjoy!**

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><p><em><strong>E<strong>_

I watched this movie once about a girl who got pregnant at fifteen. Right at the end, after her baby was born she said it was hard to care about somebody more than you care about yourself. I figured it must be true. I mean it's human nature to be selfish; I've spent my whole life just looking out for myself, and the one time I trusted someone else to be there for me like I was there for him... well, that didn't end well. Besides, why else would my parents have left me on the side of a road when I was barely a day old? So, that little life lesson made perfect sense to me.

Until I held my son.

He was - is - the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Even in that moment after he was born when he was screaming with bright red cheeks and still covered in goo. I'd decided, months before he was born, that I'd put him up for adoption. I'd had a meeting with a good adoption agency here in Phoenix, made sure that they had a family lined up so he wouldn't end up in the system. When I made that decision I thought it was the hardest choice I ever made. But even though I'd told myself that I wouldn't even look at him, I couldn't let him go without holding him just once. And when I looked down at his chubby red cheeks and his tiny fingers came up to brush against my chin I rethought every option I'd thought about over the last seven months.

Was adoption really the best idea? It was the logical thing to do. I mean what did I have to offer him? When I got out in a few months time I had no home, no money... nothing but a beaten up yellow bug. At least I assumed that's what the car keys were for... and that was stolen anyway, so surely he'd be better off with someone else. But I was adopted, once it became apparent that I wasn't going to be claimed. Three years later I was dropped into the system so my 'parents' could have their own kid. What if that happened to my baby? Seventeen years later and I was still looking for my parents, still hating them for giving me up. So when this little guy is all grown up and comes looking for me -because he will, all orphans do - how will I look him in the eye when I would have subjected him to the same pain that I grew up with? The moment I laid eyes on my baby boy I knew I couldn't do that to him. I didn't have much to offer, but I could love him with everything I have.

The movie was wrong. For a mother, caring about your baby more than yourself is the easiest thing in the world. And choosing to keep him, not knowing what would happen, just that he would change my life completely - for better or for worse... That was far harder than choosing to give him up.

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_**A**_

A baby? She went into prison heartbroken and alone and came out with a baby? How the hell did I miss that? This has ruined everything. Emma being alone would make her a stronger saviour and when the time came to go to Storybrooke she'd have nothing holding her back. Now what do I do? Should I call Neal? If she's not going to be alone she might as well have a guy who loves her to help with the kid. And he'd want to know, right? Then he could take her to Storybrooke. No, he wouldn't. The guy's spent over a hundred years running from his father-he'd never take them to him.

I need a new plan. Why did I have to run? If I'd just stayed in that home I'd have had years to build trust between us and this wouldn't be an issue! No matter what, Emma has ties now. Nothing screams 'roots' more than a kid. But raising a kid on her own... I can't think of anything stronger than a single mother, at least that part of the plan worked out... It's just the getting her there...

If I can't make it so she has no reason _not_ to go maybe I can make the kid a reason _for_ her to go...

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><p><strong>In case you're wondering, the movie Emma's referring to is <em>15 and Pregnant <em>**

**Reviews are inspiration, encouragement and if they include constructive criticism they also make me a better writer, which makes JJ's life easier too! :)**

**-Ellen.**


	2. Chapter 1

_**Thank you so much for everyone who followed this story and especially Conan in Love, Isabella and the guest who reviewed.**_

_**Thanks to my beta, JJ.**_

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><p><strong>Title: <strong>_**'Chase the sunset across these seas'**_**(A lyric taken from the song **_**Proof is Better Than a Promise **_**by Speaking in Shadows, check them out on youtube!)**

**Summary: What would have happened if Emma had never given Henry up? How would August get her to Storybrooke? And when they did get there, what would Emma make of the sticky fingered, one handed waiter at Granny's?**

**Beta'd by J-J-Sawyer-Phillips, you should all check out her stories - she's kind of a genius**

**Pairings: Eventual Captain Swan with platonic, friendship/family Wooden Swan and mentions of other canon pairings.**

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own Once Upon A Time, or any of the characters. Alas I cannot pay any claim to the utter sexiness that is Killian Jones/Hook/Colin O'Donoghue :(**

**Enjoy!**

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><p><em><strong>E<strong>_

It was tough. I mean the first few weeks must be tough for any new parent, but most aren't coming out of prison so I think I can claim I had it a little worse... But I was also really lucky. I got a good parole officer, she was nice and wanted to help but also didn't take any shit, I could respect that. The best part though was that she had kids young and could somewhat relate. So she placed me in a halfway house with only one other woman and helped me get a job. It was a shitty job at some freeway diner but I couldn't complain; I had Henry to think about, and it was him that got me through every shift. The owner let me keep Henry with me - and made damn sure I knew how much he wasn't happy with it - and I was blessed with the fact that the little guy slept most of the day. So I just had him with me in a baby carrier and made sure not to spill anything. I worked behind the counter so the tips weren't as good but if I was out on the floor I couldn't have Henry with me out there; tips or not there was no way I could afford a babysitter.

The bug was parked in some abandoned parking lot near the prison, I'd gotten a postcard just before I was released with the address on the back. When I realised what it was I gave myself a mental lecture on all the reasons I shouldn't be disappointed that the card gave no indication of where the hell Neal was and how I shouldn't hope that he'd be there to meet me with some reasonable explanation for all this. He'd made the car legit, and I found a wad of cash in the glove box. A part of me wanted to track the bastard down and throw it in his face - a car and some money, that I know he got from fencing those damn watches, didn't make up for what he'd done to me. But I had Henry now and I had to do what was best for him. I needed that money to get everything he needed. Clothes, the baby carrier, diapers - y'know, baby stuff. I splashed out on this sweet Moses basket that had a good mattress and was big enough that he'd still be able to sleep in there when he was at the age that he ought to have a proper crib, because I couldn't guarantee that I'd be able to get him one. Of Course, the other reason for not tracking the asshole down was that he'd inevitably find out about Henry if I did, and there was no way I was letting that bastard anywhere near my son.

I spent as little as I could and hid the rest of my wages and the left over money inside the hollow bed frame (an old trick I'd picked up in group homes over the years - old fashioned beds are good for something even if it's not comfort) along with the keys to the bug. By the time Henry was six months old I'd managed the get some savings together; it wasn't much but I hoped it would be enough for a deposit for an apartment as my parole was nearly up. I couldn't stay in Phoenix though. If Neal knew which prison I was in then it wouldn't take much for him to find me. Not that I thought he was interested in seeing me again but I couldn't take that chance. So I sold the bug, bribed my boss into writing me a glowing reference and got on a greyhound to New York. I didn't want to be found so where better to go than one of the most populated cities in the world?

As it turned out I could have saved myself a hundred bucks because the reference didn't help with the job hunting. Nobody wanted to hire a teenage, ex-con, single mother apparently. If it wasn't for the child benefit I got from the state, Henry and I would have been on the streets. It didn't last long though because Henry was growing so fast, and it was amazing to see him go from the tiny new born that slept against my chest all day to a happy, chubby cheeked, laughing, little boy. But the money couldn't keep up with his growing. I was quickly falling apart when the second month that the rent was late came around.

"Come on sweet cheeks, I'm not running a charity here," the landlord glared.

"I know." I held in a sigh and ran my fingers through my limp, borderline greasy hair, "Look, I get the child support tomorrow and I can pay you then, please just give me a day," I begged, swallowing my pride.

"You said that last month, and I didn't get it for a week." I opened my mouth to point out that the bank's fuck up had hardly been my fault, but before I could get a word out he stepped forward.

"Y'know honey, " he smirked, running his finger down my face, making my stomach churn. "There are other ways you could pay me... You know... you do me a _favour_, and I'll wave the rent this month. What do you say?" When his hand appeared on my hip, it took everything in me not to show him just what I thought of him. With gritted teeth I tightened my grip on the door frame and tried to step further away from him. "I mean, it's not like you have anyone else to take out your _frustrations_ on."

I lost it. Without even thinking that it could put me and Henry on the street I raised my fist, ready to connect it with the perverted old bastard's jaw, only for Henry to suddenly let out a high pitched wail and snap me out of my reddened haze. I glanced over my shoulder to see him trying to climb out of his basket.

"Sorry, I have to get Henry. I'll have your money tomorrow, every penny," I slammed the door in his face, without giving him time to argue and raced over to my son. "Oh Henry," I sighed as I held him to my chest, rocking him in the hope that he'd go back to sleep, "what are we gonna do? How am I gonna get us out of this mess?"

I tried not to think about how Henry was already too big for the Moses basket, because if I had to pay out anything more than the bare minimum then my choices would be the streets or taking the landlord up in his 'offer'.

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It was nearly Henry's birthday and I still hadn't found a proper job. What was worse was that I couldn't stay in that apartment anymore. New neighbours had moved in and now the whole floor stank of pot. I couldn't keep Henry in that environment. I'd started spending as much time out of that place as possible. I couldn't really afford to do anything, but I took Henry on long walks through the park. I tried to look on the bright side, as they say, and thought how pushing him about in the stroller I'd picked up from a second hand store was helping me shift the baby weight at last, but that didn't last for long. I mean, I didn't give a damn about how I looked; it's not like I was trying to impress anyone, and if I was really honest with myself, all the meals I was skipping to save money on the food bill meant I really didn't have a baby belly anymore.

Saturdays were the worst. I figured that whoever the pothead was he must have had some sort of night job because during the week the air cleared a bit in the evenings. Weekends were a different story though. So on Sundays I took Henry to this little coffee shop down the street. The woman who ran it, Rosalie, always made a fuss over Henry and made him these fruit smoothies that he loved. It was quite funny really - I'd take him out of the stroller and let him pick the fruits to go in the blender. The kid came up with some weird combinations (tomato and strawberry, really? I think he just likes the colour red) but he enjoyed them. Sunday was also the day I ate best, because I treated myself to a grilled cheese and a salad at Rosalie's, and then made my cocoa last as long as I could so we could stay in the shop. Usually that would last me until Tuesday night, which meant when the rent came around I could just about cover it.

One Sunday, Henry was being a real pain in the ass. He just wouldn't stop crying, and for no apparent reason. I'd been up all night with him and was completely exhausted. Rosalie, bless her, told me to sit straight down and she'd bring our food over. I turned to head to our usual booth and ran straight in to some guy, dropping my purse and barely managing to keep hold of Henry.

"I am so sorry," I apologised, bending down to grab my stuff.

"It's fine," mystery guy said, and bent down to help. He paused, handing me my driver's license "Wait, Emma Swan?" I looked up, meeting his eyes for the first time. Blue eyes, brown hair, a bit of stubble, a few years older than me, but not too much, kinda hot too (yeah, it's definitely been a while Emma). I didn't recognise him though which straight away put me on guard. "Are you the Emma Swan who was found in Maine back in '83?"

What. The. Hell. Sure the story was on the news and all, but I was just 'baby Emma' my last name was never made public. "Who the hell are you?" I asked harshly, pulling Henry closer to me and trying to hide my fear with hostility.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I must sound like some sort of stalker," the guy chuckled. _Yeah no kidding buddy._ "It's just... If you're the Emma I think you are, then I was the kid who found you."

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><p><em><strong>So, that's chapter one.<strong>_

_**Reviews are greatly appreciated.**_

_**Thanks to every one for reading. The plan is to update this every Monday, so if I don't you're all welcome to bug me about it.**_

_**-Ellen-Thalia.**_


	3. Chapter 2

_**So sorry that this is so late. I went on holiday and forgot to email this chapter to my phone :/**_

_**Thanks for all the follows/favourites and for the reviews. **_

**Enjoy!**

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><p><em><strong>E<strong>_

"What the hell!" I straightened up, clutched Henry closer to my chest and backed up. There was no way in the world that I could just run into that kid; that stuff only happened in movies. No, I couldn't trust this guy.

"Wow, I am so sorry!" creepy stubble guy announced shaking his head. "I kind of have this bad habit of just saying what I think, I don't stop to think about the consequences. Like, y'know, scaring the crap out of a pretty girl who looks like she already has enough on her plate." He chuckled and scratched the back of his neck. "I-I'll just go, leave you to your morning... It was nice bumping into you... sorry if I creeped you out," and he turned on his heel, and started walking towards the door.

I didn't notice that Henry had stopped crying until he started squirming and gargled at Mr. Stubble as he reached for the door handle. "Hey!" I called out before I had time to process what I was doing. "You're seriously going to drop a bombshell like that and walk out?"

He turned around and smiled sheepishly, but I was sure he was pleased too, "You don't want me to leave?" he asked.

"I don't want to spend the rest of the day, and who knows how long after that, wondering if what you said is true. Like you said, I've got enough on my plate," I retorted with a raised eyebrow, tilting my head slightly towards Henry.

The small smile turned into a grin at that point and the stranger shut the door, taking a step toward me. "Can I buy you a coffee?"

"Really?" the other eyebrow rose to meet its mate, "Do you always ask really personal, and dramatic questions right after you meet a girl and then ask them out? Does that actually work for you?"

"We're in a coffee shop," he points out, "and you kind of implied that you wanted to talk." I could feel my cheeks going pink with embarrassment. "I thought getting coffee was the natural progression," he sort of had a point there, "but if you're more comfortable with labels then yeah, we can call it a date. And no, this is not how I'd usually go about asking a girl out."

I considered him for a moment. So far, nothing he'd said had triggered my lie detector but this situation was crazy. "Let's just call it a chat," I decided and offered him a small, suspicious smile before lifting Henry higher on my hip and turning around. "Rosalie? Can we have our usual please?" I called and turned to my son. "Go on baby, pick your fruit," I encouraged, still watching the mystery guy out of the corner of my eye.

"Cute kid," he commented. "He looks like you."

After Rosalie prepared our orders I put Henry down and watched him clumsily toddle over to our usual booth. "So, you got a name?"

"August. August Booth." I studied him as he took a sip of his coffee and began regarding me in return, with much less suspicion though.

"You really expect me to believe that I just randomly bumped into the guy who found me on the side of a road nearly nineteen years ago?"

He shrugged, "I know it's crazy but... I can't explain it. Can you?"

"Yeah," I shot back coolly, "You're not that kid who found me; you're just a con man who found the article and thought I'd make a good mark. Well I hate to break it to you, but you're wasting your time."

"Not very trusting are you?" he asked with a kind of impressed amusement.

"Trust is earned. Anyone who thinks differently is living in a fairytale. And my life is _not_ fairytale material."

"No," August replied wistfully, "I don't imagine it has been." He just looked at me for a moment, with what looked like a little bit of guilt in his eyes, before leaning forward and lacing his fingers together under his chin. "The article said you were found by the road, they just assumed that, I don't know why. In actual fact I found you in the woods. You were wrapped in a blanket, it was a sort of off white colour with a purple ribbon woven into the knit and it had the name Emma embroidered in the corner. It's been awhile since I read the article but I'm pretty sure that wasn't in there."

He was right—it wasn't, and I still hadn't detected any lies. "How did you know my second name? I didn't get that until I was adopted. So how could you know?" I asked, still sceptical.

"When I found you," he swallowed, looking guilty again, "I promised you I'd look after you. I lasted seven months, around about." I cocked my head in confusion. "We were placed in the same foster home, but about seven months later the guy yelled at me for using some tools. I was trying to fix your crib," he explained. "Right after that one of the older kids came and said he'd found some money and that he was taking off, offered to take me with him and some other kids. I accepted.

"Obviously the system caught up to us eventually, but we were all split up. A couple of years later, I met a guy who was a genius with computers. I got him to look you up, I wanted to know you were ok," he shrugged. "You were in a home in Boston then. That's how I know your name."

After making a show of my scepticism, I nodded, albeit reluctantly. "Fine but why did you ask if I was that Emma when you saw my name? I'm sure there's a lot of Emma Swans in the world. Why would you assume that by some crazy coincidence we had crossed paths again?"

August cocked his head in response a smile barely tugging at his lips (come_ on_ my trust issues could not be that amusing) "Remember five minutes ago when I went to walk out of here, and you said that if I did you'd spend the rest of the day wondering? Well seeing as when I picked up that drivers license, I saw you had both the same name and year of birth as that little baby I've wondered about many times over the years- Don't look at me like that!" he cut himself off when he saw my disbelieving expression. "If you ever found a baby in the woods I'm sure you'd wonder about them too. I'm not saying I thought about you every day, but you've crossed my mind from time to time."

"Am I supposed to be flattered?" I tried to keep up my distrustful, no-nonsense approach but by this point we were both on the verge of laughter.

"Oh, I get the impression that it'll take a lot more than that to flatter you Emma," he replied, finally letting a laugh out as I did the same.

"Good observation," I agreed.

"Oh," his face lit up with mock surprise, "was that a compliment? My, my I think we're

making progress."

I smirked and raised my cocoa to my lips, "Just an observation."

"Of course, we can't have me thinking that you might actually be enjoying our little 'chat' can we?" he quipped, matching my smirk.

I'd never have admitted it but I was actually growing to like this guy, which was ridiculous because I'd just met him and he knew things about my past which I generally didn't tell anybody. Not to mention the fact that the last guy I got on with so fast landed me in jail. No, liking this guy in any way shape or form was a bad idea, but as far as I could tell he'd been nothing but truthful, and I don't remember ever having such an easy conversation with anyone, not even Neal.

"Anyway, what I was getting at is that if I had walked away and not asked you if you were that baby all grown up... I don't know how long I would have been wondering." He then glanced at his watch and downed the rest of his coffee. "I'm sorry Emma, but I have to go. I've got this meeting this afternoon and I should probably prepare for it."

"Sure, ok well thanks I guess for the... chat?" I trailed off not really knowing what to say. I mean how do you end a conversation with the grown up kid who found you on the side of the road - or in the woods - when you were a baby after you randomly ran into them?

"No, thank you." August reached into his jacket and pulled out a pen and a note pad. "Look, I know that I'm a little late to make good on my promise, and you're all grown up and probably don't need looking after anyway, but," he shrugged and scribbled something on the pad, "everyone could use friends. So, if you're interested, give me a call? No expectations." He tore the sheet off the pad and handed it to me before standing up and going to the counter to pay Rosalie. I looked down to see his name and a cell phone number on the paper. "It was really good to meet you Emma. And you Henry." He smiled from the door way. "Bye."

I looked back down at the paper. My head was telling me to just throw it away, but something made me slip it into my purse instead.

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_**A**_

I got on my bike and left Emma and the kid. The ball was in her court now. I just hoped that I'd managed to gain just enough trust, or at the very least spike some curiosity, so that she'd actually call. Somehow I doubted that she'd buy a second 'coincidental' meeting and if I couldn't become her friend I'd have no chance of getting her to Storybrooke.


	4. Chapter 3

_**A**_

It had been three weeks since Emma and I had 'met' and she still hadn't called. What's worse is that since she knew my face, I couldn't keep an eye on her the way I had been before, in case she saw me. How was I supposed to keep her on track and help her fulfil her destiny if she wouldn't let me in? I mean come on, she's a barely more than a kid, with no job and a baby to look after. I was sure she would at least be desperate enough to ignore her trust issues.

I'd decided to go back to the coffee shop; I was sure to go back a few times in the week when I knew Emma wouldn't be there so the woman behind the counter could reassure her that I wasn't stalking her - it couldn't be such a stretch to believe I just liked the coffee. However, when I did go on a Sunday, right in the middle of the time Emma was usually there, she was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey," I asked the old woman, who seemed to run the place, trying to sound casually curious. "Do you remember a few weeks back when I first came in here? I spoke to a blond girl with a baby."

"Yes, of course. Emma's quite lovely isn't she? She and that poor boy need a good man in their lives," she prompted. _Great, _I thought, _she's a match maker._

I played a long though and scratched my neck, trying to appear nervous. "So she, eh, comes here often then?"

"Yes, every Sunday. Y'know she's usually here by now. I do hope they're ok," she seemed to ponder. So no information there. I took my coffee to go and walked through the park to see if she was there. No luck. At this point I was starting to worry. She'd been in New York for about six months—it didn't take her long to find the coffee shop and since then she'd been there the same time every week without fail. If the staff didn't know why she wasn't there then there had to be something wrong. But how could I help her? She hadn't given me her number, she hadn't called; sure I knew where she lived but I wasn't supposed to. If I just showed up there then she'd be sure I was some stalker or a con artist or both and wouldn't accept help whether she needed it or not.

What the hell was I supposed to do?

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_**E**_

"Henry!" I cried, with a mixture of exhaustion and fear. He'd been crying all night and I didn't know what to do.

His diaper was clean, he wouldn't eat, he didn't have gas... I kept telling myself that babies cry for no reason sometimes. That there was nothing to worry about but there was this pit in my stomach... Like a coil winding tighter and tighter with every high pitch cry coming from my baby's mouth. I put him down in his chair, but he just kept screaming. I felt like if it wasn't for the worry I would have collapsed from exhaustion hours ago.

After a particularly high wail, I took a deep breath and knelt down in front of him. "Henry," I tried to make my voice sound more soothing than whining. "Baby please, just tell Mommy what's wrong. What can I do?" I rested my hands on his chubby little legs but he just squirmed and continued to stare into the distance. "Henry?" I asked seriously, the coil tightening even more. "Henry, look at Mommy." Never, not once, had Henry not reacted to my voice or touch. Not while he was awake. Not once since I had him. A look, a gargle, a smile, a cry... there was always something! "Henry! Henry look at mommy! Henry look at me!" I was scared now. I knew it in my gut. Something was _wrong! _"Henry!" I was out right crying as I cupped his face in my hand and he suddenly felt warmer than before. I didn't know if I was imagining it or if it was me worrying but I wasn't taking chances anymore.

I knew, in that pit in my stomach - hell in the pain in my _heart - _I knew there was something wrong with my son.

I grabbed my cell phone and the car seat and started to dial a taxi but as Henry's cries just got louder and higher and his normally pale skin was turning blotchy I hung up and called 911 instead.

_ "911 what is your emergency?"_

"I need help! I-It's my baby I need an ambulance!" I stuttered through my tears, barely understanding myself.

_ "Ok Miss I need you to stay calm for me. What's your address?"_ I rattled off the address, trying to stop my tears and remove the hysteria from my voice. _"Ok honey, is that the baby I can hear crying? How old?"_

"Y-yes, he's twelve and a half months. Is the ambulance on the way?"

_ "They're on their way, honey but I need to give them as much information as I can before they get there so they can help the baby. So you need to answer my questions as best you can ok?"_

I nodded, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand, before realising that the woman couldn't see me. "Ye-es, yes what do you need to know?"

_ "What symptoms does he have? Why did you call us?"_

"H-he won't stop crying, he doesn't usually cry like this and his skin is all blotchy and he has a fever and won't eat and he won't look at me." My voice break on a sob. "He always looks at me when I talk to him."

_ "Ok, just try to stay calm. What are your names?"_

"Emma and Henry Swan."

_ "Ok, Emma. You said he wasn't looking at you, is Henry looking at anything or is he just staring?"_

"Just staring."

_ "And does Henry have a rash or any bruising anywhere?"_

"N-no, I haven't se- I don't think so -" it was then that realisation dawned on me. "Oh my God you think it's meningitis! No!" I started hyperventilating, staring at my baby boy with complete and utter terror.

_ "Emma,"_ the operator's voice became stern, like a reprimanding mother. _"Emma I need you to calm down. It might not be meningitis but if it is you have to act fast. So I need you to stay calm and help us help Henry. Can you do that for him?"_

"Y-yes," I whispered, nodding once more, and took a deep breath to replace my panic with the deadly kind of calm.

_ "The ambulance is nearly there. I need you to go and open the front door for them. Then go straight back to Henry and check his whole body for a rash or any type of bruising." _I'd opened the door and started undressing Henry to check before she'd even finished speaking.

"I can't see anything... there's some diaper rash that's almost cleared up but nothing new or unusual." I told her. "That's good right?"

_ "Yes that's a good sign, but we won't know for sure what's going on until we get Henry checked out."_ I heard hurried footsteps from the corridor then and whipped my head towards the door.

"I think the ambulance is here."

_ "Ok, stay on the phone and stay with Henry. Just call to them from where you are."_

"Hello? Hello I need some hel-" a man dressed in a dark uniform walked through the door and jogged over to me and Henry carrying a large bag with someone else following him.

"Emma Swan?" he asked as he knelt next to me. I nodded as he took a stethoscope from the bag. "And this must be Henry, hello little guy." He said over the crying and I got the impression that it was more for my benefit than Henry's.

The paramedic's murmured to each other. Once they got there everything was kind of a blur. The guy did all sorts of checks with Henry while the woman asked me questions but I barely heard her. My eyes fixed on my son, hoping that they could do something to make my baby stop crying but at the same time praying he wouldn't because at least if he was crying I knew he was breathing. They took us down to the ambulance and the guy stayed in the back with me and Henry while the woman drove.

At the hospital a group of doctor swarmed around my baby while I stood helplessly in the corner. It could have been seconds or hours later when a nurse came over to me. Everything was moving in slow motion. She tried to lead me out of the room and I suddenly snapped to life, fighting to get to Henry, but more nurses appeared as if from nowhere and held me back.

"No! Let me go That's my son! My baby's in there! Let me go! He needs me! Let me go let me GO!" I screamed, sobs over taking my body. People where probably staring, but I couldn't care less. All I wanted was my son. I wanted to hold him in my arms and have him be happy and healthy and smiling up at me. I wanted to wake up on my mattress with Henry happily gurgling at me, from across the room, and have all this be a terrible nightmare.

But we don't always get what we want.

A male nurse took me by the shoulders and led me to a chair in the waiting room with a plump older nurse at his side. She sat next to me and angled her chair towards me. She waved the man away but I saw him hover nearby, just in case I needed restraining I guessed.

"Now, Ms. Swan," the older Nurse started in a tone that was somehow firm but soothing at the same time, "I assure you that the doctors and nurses with Henry will take good care of him and do everything they can to find out what's wrong with him and treat him, ok? The best thing you can do for Henry, right now, is stay calm and answer my question the best you can. Do you understand?"

I nodded, tearing my eyes away from the room Henry was in. "Yes. What do you need to know?" She asked me questions about mine and Henry's medical history and what health problems might be in the family. At the forth 'I don't know' she lowered the clip board and glared at me with her lips in a tight line.

"Ms. Swan. I am asking you these questions to help _your son,_" she snapped. "If you care about him you'll do well to take them seriously."

"How dare you!" I shouted, not caring who heard. "How dare you say that I don't care about my son! My baby!" Out of the corner of my eye I saw the male nurse edging closer to me. "My son is my whole world and there is _nothing_ I wouldn't do to help him!" From the look on the nurses face I'm sure that, despite my youth, the bags under my eyes and the dried tears on my cheeks, my expression was murderous. "I can't answer your questions because I'm an orphan! I never knew my parents, I don't know if they had health problems, Henry and I never have. Henry's father isn't in the picture. I don't know anything about his medical history so take your fucking clipboard, get it out of my face and find out _what the HELL is wrong with MY SON!_"

The Nurse swallowed and at least had the decency to look ashamed. "I am very sorry Ms. Swan. I was out of line." She handed the clipboard to the male nurse who was now right beside me. "Do you know the names of your parents or Henry's father? We may be able to pull their records and that will help Henry."

I closed my eyes as a tear fell down my cheek. "I don't know my parents' names." I had never hated being an orphan more than I did in that moment. Not only did they ruin my life but now my son's was in danger and valuable time was being wasted because _they_ had given me up. "Henry's father's name is Neal Cassidy. I'd rather you didn't contact him, but if there's something in his record that could help Henry then by all means try, but I doubt you'll have any luck," she nodded, took the clipboard back and walked over to the desk.

I turned to the other nurse, still hovering close by. "Can I see my son now?" I asked in whisper. I didn't have the energy to shout and demand anymore.

He smiled apologetically, "I'm sorry Miss. You'd best stay here while the doctors are with him." He came closer and sat in the seat beside me. "I know this is probably the last thing you want to hear right now, but there really isn't anything you can do for him in there." I closed my eyes and nodded as another tear escaped. I couldn't be bothered to wipe them away anymore. "Do you have anyone you can call? A friend or a neighbour?" he suggested. "I don't have kids myself but from what I've seen this is one of the worst things a person can go through; it's best not to be alone."

I shook my head. "No, Henry and I are alone."

"Are you sure? It doesn't have to be somebody close -"

"I said there's no-o-" I stopped, eyes widening in realisation. There was _someone _I could call. If I was desperate. And let's face it, I was more than desperate.

I reached for my purse, that I must have grabbed at some point before leaving the apartment, and started digging through it. "You thought of someone?" the nurse asked.

"My..." _my what? What was he exactly?_ "My foster brother. We haven't spoken in a while but I have a number somewhere..." I vaguely registered him leaving as I searched through the spare pacifiers and bibs and all sorts of crap before finding my wallet and pulling that little scrap of paper with the number I'd almost called a hundred times over the past few weeks.

A cordless phone appeared in front of me. I took it, offering the nurse a weak smile and willing my hands not to shake as I typed the number in. The dial tone sounded and it rang once... twice... at the third ring my stomach started to twist...

_ "Hello?"_ his voice finally answered and I let out a sigh of relief.

"August?" My voice cracked and I cleared my throat. "August, it's Emma."

_ "Emma!"_ he sounded... relieved? _"Hey. I didn't think you were going to call. How are you?"_

"I- August I need your help. It's Henry, he's in hospital." There was a pause and I realised he probably didn't remember Henry's name, why would he?

I was about to clarify when I heard movement. _"Which hospital? I'm on my way."_


	5. Chapter 4

_**Thanks for the follows and reviews guy! Keep 'em coming.**_

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><p><em><strong>A<strong>_

I knew something must have been wrong for Emma not to have kept to her schedule all day but I never thought that something could have been wrong with the baby! Well, at least not to the extent of being in hospital. The second I heard her voice I was ecstatic that she'd called, despite something clearly being wrong, but I instantly felt guilty when I heard 'Henry' and 'hospital' in the same sentence. Despite New York traffic, I got to the hospital in record time - an upside to a bike - and dashed to the front desk.

"Hey, I'm looking for Emma Swa-Henry Swan," the woman raised a sceptical eyebrow at me. "The patient is Henry Swan, his mom is Emma. Where are they? Is he alright?"

The receptionist started tapping on the keyboard. "Are you family?"

"Well, no, not technically but-"

"I can only let family in, Sir. Sorry," she sounded far more bored than she was sorry and it was beyond irritating.

"Look, Emma called me. She asked me to come; just tell me where they are, she'll tell you it's ok. Call somebody to ask her, tell her August is here. She'll say it's ok I swear," I was practically pleading with her. Neal leaving had broken Emma's heart, so Henry was all she had. She must've been falling apart, and I had to help her!

"You looking for Emma Swan?" a man spoke from behind me and I turned to see a guy about my age standing there in scrubs. "You're the foster brother? August, right?" I took a second to realise that Emma must have said that because of the family thing, or maybe because she didn't know what to call me, but I just nodded and introduced myself because this guy could get me past the damn desk. "Henry's been moved to paediatric. Take the elevator to the second floor, Miss Swan's in the waiting room on the left."

"Thank you!" I took off in the direction he'd indicated, thinking how this was my chance to finally make good on my promise. If only it didn't have to come through that poor kid suffering.

When I finally found Emma there was a doctor sat with her and she looked like she was barely holding it together. As I got closer I could hear what the Doc was saying "-afraid it's as we feared, Henry has bacterial meningitis."

I froze. "Shit." Both women looked up at me. "You can treat him right?"

"Who are-"

"He's my foster bother," Emma replied, an emotionless tone that was honestly far worse than the raw sob I'd heard on the phone. I sat down and put my arm around her, trying not to cringe at how thin and bony she was.

"Yes," The doctor continued, "we've caught it early so there's an antibiotic we can use to treat him. We'll put him on a drip and give him a sedative to ease the pain and help him sleep through the treatment. After that we'll want to keep him in for a few days. We just need you to sign the forms to allow us to treat him." Emma nodded and reached for the pen without question. "Wait, before you sign there's something I have to make you aware of. As with any drug or treatment there are possible side effects. In young children, particularly as small as Henry, there's a chance the treatment will cause Henry to develop hearing loss. In some cases to the extent of being completely deaf. Before you sign you have to consider..."

Emma had already signed and was handing the forms back. "I'd rather my son be alive and well with no hearing than have to bury him. Treat him; stop wasting time asking stupid questions." I squeezed Emma's shoulder gently in reassurance.

The doctor nodded and stood. "Once the drip is in place you can go in to see him. Both of you. But he'll be asleep for several hours."

"Thank you," I told her and turned back to Emma as she left. "Hey," I spoke softly and moved to crouch in front of the broken girl so she could see me, "he's going to be ok."

She nodded and began to shake with sobs. I didn't have much experience with comforting crying women so I just held her and rocked us from side to side, hoping I was helping in some way. A nurse came and led us to the room where a sleeping Henry lay; he would have looked perfectly peaceful had he not been wired up to monitors with a tube being fed into his arm. As soon as Emma saw him, looking so small and fragile, she broke down again. Her legs gave out, and I had to catch her before she hit the floor, hoping it was simply from exhaustion and her emotional state and not her obvious malnutrition.

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_**E**_

We had been in that room for at least three hours. I had dragged a chair right up to Henry's bed and was stroking his hair back, watching his face for when he opened his big eyes and taking comfort in the steady beeping of the heart monitor. August was on the other chair, next to me, rolling a bottle of Gatorade that he'd been trying to get me to drink for most of the time we'd been there between his palms. I felt his eyes on me sometimes; he was alternating between watching me, then Henry and then staring into space.

"Hours," I spoke finally. My voice was rough from lack of use and all the crying. "He was crying for hours before I realised. How could I have not noticed sooner?"

"Emma, don't do that. You heard the doctor; she said we caught it early. _You_ caught it early and you got him here. Emma, look at me." I reluctantly tore my eyes away from my baby boy and did so. "You did everything you could. You got him here in plenty of time and he is going to be just fine." I saw the absolute conviction in his eyes and wondered how someone who had only just met us could have such faith in us.

I nodded with a weak smile, reached over to take the bottle from him and took a sip. It was slightly warm from being handled for the past couple of hours but still did wonders for my sore throat. August smiled and seemed to relax a little bit. It was only then that I realised that I was only in a tank top and sweat pants which clearly showed how underweight I was. I studied him for a moment and realised that he was just as concerned for me as he was for Henry.

"You can go you know." I whispered, but despite him being practically a stranger and us crossing paths was the freakiest coincidence I had ever imagined, I didn't want him to go. This stranger had been there for me when I truly needed someone to be and having him just sitting there next to me made me feel like I didn't have to face the world alone.

"What?" he asked, seemingly taken aback.

"It's the middle of the night. You must be exhausted, you don't have to wait here with me," I assured him again.

"I told you," he started slowly, not taking his eyes off mine, "that I wanted to be there for you. So I'm going to sit here, being here for you, for as long as you need me to."

I saw nothing but honesty in his gaze. "Why?" I asked, old defences coming back up. "Why do you care? And why stick around now when you're only going to leave again sooner or later?"

"Because I never should have left you the first time," he answered sounding guilty, "and I'm not going to make the same mistake again." Then he grinned, only a little bit forced, "Sorry princess, but you and Henry are going to have to get used to me being around."

The scary thing was that he meant every word. I didn't want to believe him; I'd believed Neal and look where that got me, but there was something about the mix of sincerity, guilt and determination in his eyes that meant I couldn't help it. I believed this guy was going to stick around. Worse, I wanted him to.


	6. Chapter 5

_**So sorry this is a little late. Family gets in the way of fanfiction sometimes :/**_

_**Thanks to Conan in love and Daydreamr4ever who reviewed, and for all the followers.**_

_**And to the guest reviewer from a few chapters ago: Yes Emma still named him Henry, mainly for ease, if I had come up with another name it would have been confusing enough, even more so considering... well, you'll just have to wait for chapter 7 to find out... ;-P**_

**Enjoy!**

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><p><em><strong>A<strong>_

Emma had long since fallen asleep when the doctor came to tell us that Henry was responding well to the treatment.

"He sure is a little fighter. We expect him to make a full recovery," she smiled.

"Thank you," I answered softly. "Emma will be glad to hear that. It'll be a huge weight off."

"I'm sure it will. I know you're worried about your nephew right now, but I have to ask, have you contacted your insurance company?" I frowned in confusion-didn't the hospital usually handle that? "Miss Swan didn't put the details of her and Henry's health insurance," the doctor explained.

I closed my eyes as I realised, Emma didn't have a job; from what I could tell she was barely making her rent and she certainly didn't have the money to eat properly. So she couldn't afford insurance or the hospital bill. "She's, erm, Emma's between jobs right now; she doesn't have insurance." I hesitated a moment before pulling my wallet out. I was about a hundred and ten percent sure Emma would not be happy about this but I knew she couldn't handle the bill on her own. "Here, put it on here," I handed over my credit card, "charge whatever care Henry needs to me. I'll have to call my insurance company to add them to my coverage."

"Ok, thank you Mr. Booth. I'll be right back with your card."

As she left my eyes wandered back to the baby and I was surprised to see his eyes open. He was blinking up at me, not making a sound, and I was startled by how much he looked like Emma had. Sure he was a lot bigger than she had been when I left, but they had the same round face and tiny nose that looked lost below their big eyes. The eyes were the most obvious feature he'd inherited, bright green with a curious glint that Emma had lost over the course of her childhood and replaced with her distrusting glare. I tilted my head, trying to remember if Emma's eyes were from Snow White or the Prince - it was so long ago that I could barely remember their faces. Henry pulled me out of my thoughts when he reached out, trying to tug on his drip.

"Hey little man," I spoke softly, catching Henry's hand, "you don't wanna do that, trust me, I yanked one of those things out once and it hurt like hell after." He just blinked at me again for a moment before reaching up and scratching at the stubble on my jaw. "What? You don't like the beard?" he gurgled and smiled, that infectious baby kind of smile that you couldn't help but return. "Oh you do like it?" another gurgle. "Tell you what, next time I see you I'll shave and then you can tell me which you prefer. Sound like a plan?" Henry just sat up and continued to make quiet little noises until the IV caught his attention again.

"Hey, hey," I tsked and picked the little guy up. "You don't wanna touch that buddy, ok? I'd hate for you to prove one of my foster dad's right. If any of the kids ever got hurt he just used to shrug and say 'You only learn when it hurts'. The thing is, he was a bit of an ass so how about, we prove him wrong, and you show me that smart kids like you can learn _before_ it hurts. Yeah?" I settled back in my chair with Henry on my lap and watched him take in the room, occasionally having to pull his hands away from the tubes and wires he was still attached to.

"Mmmumm-mummm," he suddenly exclaimed, leaning over my arm to try and get to Emma.

"Yeah Henry," I answered, hoping that that wasn't the first his first word, I would really hate to have taken that milestone from Emma, "Mom's here, but she's really tired right now so we have to be quiet." Henry looked back at me like he was taking in everything I said, even though I knew he probably didn't understand a word. "What d'you say that you and me just hang out for a bit and let Mommy get some sleep, huh? She's been really worried so she needs it."

Over the next hour or so Emma slept while Henry sat on my lap, quietly babbling as I talked to him about whatever came to mind. I found that I was honestly enjoying just spending time with the kid and realised that Henry wasn't going to be just a complication I had to deal with to get Emma to Storybrooke; if all went well then I'd be spending a lot of time with this kid and I was actually quite looking forward to that. Things got a little rougher though when Henry started getting bored with our conversation. He'd mostly given up on tugging at his IV, but there's only so much entertainment a one-year-old could find on a guy's lap (some of which was quite painful for said guy when Henry decided to show me that he could stand up; if this relationship was going to work he'd have to learn where not to put his feet) and he started to get louder.

"Hey, Henry shhh," I stood up and tried rocking him but I didn't want to risk jostling him too much. "Don't suppose your Mom keeps any of your toys in her purse does she?" His only answer was a frustrated squeal; I didn't have much experience with babies but I was fairly sure that they were usually followed by crying. "Hey, keep it down little man, we don't want to wake Mommy up. Do you think she'd kill me if I went through the purse to see?"

"I thought men were terrified of going in a woman's purse?" a sleepy voice murmured from the other chair.

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_**E**_

I woke up with a really uncomfortable pain in my neck and slowly blinked against the fluorescent light, trying to remember where I was.

"Oh no you don't," I heard a quiet voice off to my right, "you're not standing up on me again." My vision cleared just as I heard Henry's babbling get louder and I realised that August still sat next to me, playing with my son, who was looking much better than when I'd brought him in. "Hey, Henry shhh," he said as he stood up, rocking Henry just slightly, "don't suppose your Mom keeps any of your toys in her purse does she?" Henry squealed and I winced at the sudden pitch; I thought I'd gotten him out of the squealing stage already. "Hey, keep it down little man, we don't want to wake Mommy up." He was worried about waking me up? I couldn't believe that this guy who barely knew me was looking after my sick baby so that I could get some sleep. People just weren't that... _nice_. "Do you think she'd kill me if I went through the purse to see?"

I smiled at that and figured it was time I let them know I was awake. "I thought men were terrified of going in a woman's purse?"

August turned and smiled at me. "Hey, sorry I tried to keep him quiet. You looked like you could use the rest. How are you feeling?"

"Mmmuummmmummummm!" Henry shouted brightly, stretching out his arms to me as August brought him over and settled him in my arms.

"Hi baby," I smiled, ridiculously overjoyed just to see him smiling again, "you feeling better?" Henry gurgled and started his favourite activity - tugging at my hair. I was so glad that he was back to his normal self that I didn't even stop him. "How long has he been awake?" I asked August.

"About an hour? A little more I think. He's been fine the whole time. He doesn't seem to be in pain or anything... at least I don't think so." He scratched the back of his neck, suddenly looking a bit unsure of himself. "I, um, don't have much experience with kids."

I raised an eyebrow. "Really? I mean, you're a natural with him. Surely must have spent some time with children?"

"Not really. There was a five year old with me in the last home I was in, but I was only there for a few months before I turned sixteen and decided I'd do better on my own. I've not really seen any kids since. I think I did ok with this little guy though, right?" Again he wasn't lying and seemed to be looking for my approval, which was one of the most surreal situations I'd ever been in - people never cared what I thought of them.

"Yeah, like I said, a natural." I smiled and finally detangled Henry's fingers from my hair. "Look... I just want to say thank you. For watching him and waiting for me. Hey for coming down here at all. You didn't have to do any of that and I... I'm sorry, I'm just not used to having anyone to help me out, with anything. So I'm not good at the whole gratitude thing."

August chuckled and sat himself on the edge of the hospital bed. "Well, I'll give you a hand then. It's actually really easy, just repeat after me: thank you," he smirked.

I couldn't help but laugh. "Thank you, August."

"You're welcome. See, that wasn't so hard now, was it?"


	7. Chapter 6

_**Hey guys, a little late again I know:/ sorry.**_

_**Just a heads up, I've caught up to myself in terms of posting and my beta hasn't sent chapter 7 back to me yet. Hopefully I'll have it by Monday but if I don't post it on time please be patient. As I know you will :)**_

_**Thanks to fox24 and OneDayGreatness for the reviews.**_

_**So, from here on out we're following the show's time line. I'm gonna stick as close to cannon as is possible to do so while telling the story I want to write. If you'd like to discuss the divergences from the show feel free to review or PM me.**_

**Enjoy!**

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><p><em><strong>9 Years Later…<strong>_

_**E**_

"So… um, tell me something about yourself Emma," my latest perp asked.

"Oh, well today's my birthday," I smiled sweetly. The cocky guys like this really made it too easy.

"And you're spending it with me? What about your friends?"

"I'm kind of a loner," I shrugged, not really needing to lie when the truth fits the whole internet dating scene just as well.

"And you don't like your family?"

"I don't have a whole lot of family. Just my foster brother and he travels a lot so…" I trailed off, shrugging once more and not showing my annoyance at the pity in his eyes. "You ready to run yet?"

"Not a chance," he flashed me a smile that was all charm and confidence. The fact that I didn't roll my eyes was really a testament to how good I'd become at my job over the years. "You Emma are by far, the sexiest friendless orphan I have ever met." I laughed along with him, pretending to be charmed and feeding the jerk's ego.

"Okay, your turn. No, wait let me guess!" I smiled coyly, bracing myself for the satisfaction that always comes when jerks like this Ryan guy realise that they're not getting lucky, but actually heading straight for a cell. "You are handsome, charming…"

"Go on," he smirked, could he be more full of himself?

"The kind of guy who- and now stop me if I get this wrong –" with that I dropped my flirty persona- "embezzled from your employer, got arrested and skipped town before they were able to throw your ass in jail."

Mr. Charming's next smile was far less cocky and much more panicked "What?"

"And the worst part of all of this is your wife. Your wife loves you so much that she bailed you out and how do you repay that loyalty? You're on a date."

_Yeah, that's right buddy, you should look guilty_ I thought as he looked away.

"Who are you?"

"The chick who put up the rest of the money," I replied with my best fuck-you smile.

"You're a bail-bondsman." Oh would you look at that, he's finally caught up.

"Bail-bondsperson." And then wine was soaking my nice pink dress as the asshole flipped the table and ran. "Really?" _Why did they always run, _I thought as I started following the guy outside, weaving through traffic with far less urgency than he was. _I mean if I was gonna let them just run away then I wouldn't let them know who I was before putting the cuffs on._ I caught up just as the perp realised I'd clamped his car.

"Look you don't have to do this," he tried to reason, "I can pay you, I've got money." I didn't even need my superpower to tell that he was lying through his teeth.

"No you don't! And if you did you should give it you your wife to take care of your family," I told him with a heavy amount of judgement.

"What the hell do you know about family huh?" he spat out.

I frowned and dragged him out of the car just a little rougher than strictly necessary. "That was just harsh." I growled as I dragged him over to my own car and slammed my hand cuffs onto his wrists. "Asshole," I muttered as I pushed him into the back and set off towards the police station.

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_**A**_

"Henry!" I heard from the bathroom of Emma's apartment, signalling the arrival of my wayward sister. "What are you still doing up? You should have been in bed hours ago! Where's Mrs. Benson?"

"She went home," Henry murmured, even before I entered the room I could tell that his eyes were still glued to the TV screen, rather than looking at his mother.

"What!"

I finally came into view and caught Emma's attention, "I told her I'd take over. There was no point keeping her from her evening as I'm here right?"

"August? What? When did you get here?" she asked smiling as she came over to give me a hug.

"Didn't think I'd miss your birthday did you?" I chuckled as I pulled back to look her up and down, taking in the large wine stain on her hip. "Wow, if you clean up this nice for work imagine the effort you'd put in if you had an actual date," I teased.

"Mom says she doesn't date because men are useless," Henry perked up, finally tearing his eyes away from the TV and leaning over the back of the couch.

"I hope I'm an exception to that rule," I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well you're clearly a useless babysitter; what, did you actually believe him when he told you his bedtime was midnight?"

"I may not have your superpower, but I'm not stupid Ems. I'm well aware that Henry's bedtime is eight thirty, but I figured it wouldn't do him any harm to stay up to watch you blow your candles out," I reasoned as Emma furrowed her eyebrows.

"Candles? What candles?" I spun her around towards the kitchen, where Henry had stealthily appeared to get the small chocolate cake out of the refrigerator and was holding out a box of matches.

"Happy birthday Ems," I kissed the side of her head.

"Make a wish!" Henry beamed "Hey can you wish for an X-box? Because that would be cool."

"Why don't we save that for_ your_ birthday buddy?" I smiled and the kid pouted good-naturedly.

Emma leaned down and blew out the candles with a small smile as Henry clapped and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Ok kid, go get ready for bed. It's a school night," she kissed the top of his head and nudged him in the direction of his bedroom. She'd grown into a great mom since we met and back then I would never have guessed how proud I'd be of her by the time this day came.

"Night Uncle August, thanks for letting me stay up" Henry gave me a hug and flashed his signature, impish grin up at me before heading to his room.

"Good night little man," I smiled after him. "So…" I started, scratching the back of my neck. This was the hard part, convincing Emma to come with me to Storybrooke. "I'm gonna appeal to your spontaneous side, if you'll give me the chance."

Emma immediately looked suspicious, "I have a spontaneous side?"

"Oh, come on Emma, everyone one has a spontaneous side. Some people –namely you – just take a little more coaxing than others," I grinned.

With a raised eyebrow, Emma leaned against the counter top and crossed her arms across her chest. "I'm listening… no promises though."

"Well, that's a good start. I've um, been thinking about settling down. At least for a while," I started, careful not to tell a direct lie, else Emma would shut me right down.

"You? Settle down?" she asked in disbelief (I suppose I couldn't blame her for that). "Did you get someone pregnant?"

"What? No! Nothing like that!" Did she really think I slept around that much? "No I just… I'm thirty-five years old Emma. I can't live out of a suitcase my entire life, y'know?"

"I guess but I thought you loved all the traveling? And what does this have to do with me being spontaneous?" Emma asked in confusion.

"Well… there's this town in Maine, it's a really nice place and I have a job lined up." Not technically true, but there are two places in town that I think would hire me, at least once Emma gets there and sets time moving again. "And you never know, I might love small town life too, but I'm fairly sure that I won't if I'm there on my own."

Realisation dawned on Emma's face and her jaw dropped. "You want us to move? To Maine!" she explained incredulously. "You're not serious right?

"Emma just think about it! Storybrooke is a great little town, it's right on the coast, it's beautiful and quiet. Great for kids," I tried appealing to her motherly instincts. "It's a lot safer than a big city like Boston and it has all sorts of things that would be great for Henry: sailing, horse riding… And he'd love living so close to the beach…"

"Wow!" an excited voice startled us both as Henry barrelled out of his room and stopped between us, bouncing on his heels in excitement. "Can we Mom? Please? It'll be an adventure! Just like Uncle August always talks about his adventures, only we could go too! Please, please, please!" the kid begged with his best puppy dog eyes (which I promptly mimicked, couldn't hurt right?)

Emma looked panicked, like she was backed into a corner and didn't know what to do. "Henry… Guys I don't know… I mean our life if here. And what about Henry's school? I can't just take him out!"

"Storybrooke has a great school," I argued. "Henry could make loads of new friends and the school bus picks up from anywhere in town." I could see that she was just on the edge of agreeing. She just needed a little push but I knew from experience that too much would back track her right back to refusal. "Look Emma, I think this would be really great for us. We could really be a family, but I know it's a big decision. So I'm going up there tonight; how about you guys come with me? We'll stay for a week and see how it goes, and if you don't like the place you can come back here. I'll even find a place in Boston instead if you want. But just… For once Emma, be open minded and give it a try. Have I ever steered you wrong?"

She bit her lip for a moment, still looking unsure, before finally closing her eyes and sighing in defeat.

"Yes!" Henry exclaimed, jumping up and down as he hugged Emma tightly before jumping up to give me a high five. "Thank you! Thank you! Should I go pack?" he asked his mom, excitedly.

"Yeah, I guess so," he grinned and ran back to his room. "Only enough for a week Henry! Don't expect this to be permanent."

"Whatever you say," he called back.

I couldn't hold back my chuckle as I rested my hands on Emma's shoulders until she met my eyes. "I promise you won't regret this, Emma."

"I'd better not," she sighed. "So, Storybrooke, huh? You sure it's a real place, with a name like that?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," I laughed.


	8. Chapter 7

**Hi people.**

**I hope you like this chapter, CSers, don't worry, Killian will be appearing soon. :) If anyone has any quetions about divergences from the show, feel free to ask.**

**Now just a little warning, updates may get slow in the next few weeks as I'm going back to Uni and starting my new job as a TA (in the school where kids who've been kicked out of every other school in the city end up... wish me luck!). I'm also trying to stop my sister from screwing her life up because she's following her friend instead of thinking about her future. **

**Don't worry though! I am determined that this story will not end up on hiatus and will continue to be updated on a regular basis. I hope you understand if I chose to miss an update in favour of writing a good chapter, rather than forcing one out.**

**Enjoy and review!**

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><p><em><strong>A<strong>_

Convincing Emma to come to Storybrooke was surprisingly easy, I thought I'd made a mistake by not coming back until tonight but, thanks to Henry, she'd agreed to try small town life for a week. The hard part was convincing her to stay. I'm sure the Evil Queen will make that more than problematic but if I can just make sure that this week is the best week of Henry's life – without him nearly getting himself killed, Emma was always complaining about me encouraging Henry to get himself into 'dangerous situations' (or as we like to call them, adventures) – then hopefully, that will be enough incentive for us to stay.

I checked that I could still see Emma's headlights in my mirror just as the '_Welcome to Storybrooke'_ sign came into view and I couldn't help but smile when we crossed the town line – we were here, now the final battle could begin.

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_**E**_

As much as I hated to admit it, as we drove into Storybrooke (I still couldn't get over that. Who names a town _Storybrooke_?!) I couldn't help but be amazed by the lack of, well everything. No noise, no traffic, no shady people hanging around… it was a nice, quiet town—_the perfect place for kids,_ I begrudgingly thought. August pulled off to the side of the road so I slowed the car down and fought a smile at the sight of Henry bouncing in the passenger seat.

"Mom look!" He pointed with excitement, "They have a clock tower!"

"Don't get excited, kid," I warned with a chuckle as I pulled up behind August's bike. "We're only here for a week."

"If you say so," he said, jumping out the car with a cheeky smile and running over to August. I shook my head at the seemingly unending amount of energy my kid had and followed him out. Before I reached the boys though, movement across the street caught my eye. I squinted my eyes against the brightness of a street light and saw what looked like a kid sitting alone on a bench.

"Hello?" I called, bringing Henry and August out of their excited conversation. Once I crossed the street I could see the kid more clearly and I realised that he couldn't be much older than Henry. "Hey buddy, are you ok?" I asked.

The kid opened his mouth to answer, but hesitated. After a moment I realised that, despite the kid living in a small, seemingly safe town, he still knew a thing or two about stranger danger, so I smiled reassuringly and called Henry over. With his hand in mine I walked over to the bench and crouched in front of the kid, hoping he'd be willing to talk once he saw another kid with me.

"Hey," I smiled. "My name's Emma, and this is Henry." Henry grinned and waved, while the other boy looked between us. "What's your name?"

He bit his lip, in contemplation before answering. "Danny. What are you doing here?"

I frowned at that. "What do you mean?"

"Strangers don't come to Storybrooke," he explained, as if it was the most obvious fact in the world.

"What? Not _ever_?" I teased but Danny was deadly serious, when he answered.

"Never. So why are you here?" He asked once more, suspiciously.

"Well, you see that guy over there?" I turned and pointed to where August was still leaning against his bike but watching us with interest. "Well that's my brother, Henry's Uncle. He's thinking of moving here, so he asked us to come for a visit, just to check the town out." The kid glanced back to August before seeming to accept the answer. "Who are you here with, Danny? Where are your parents?"

Danny looked down and mumbled. "I ran away."

I raised my eyebrows and looked sideways at Henry, who had a puzzled look on his face. "Why?" he asked.

"I hate it at home."

I smiled in sympathy, I knew a thing or two about crappy homes, but I couldn't just leave the kid here. "I know that families suck sometimes Danny, but running isn't the answer. I'm sure your parents are worried about you. I know that if Henry disappeared, I'd be really upset."

"Do you love Henry?" Danny suddenly asked, seeming to gain some confidence with the anger that suddenly sparked in his eyes.

I blinked in shock, it was a strange question for a kid to ask. "Of course I do. He's my son."

"Then that's the difference! My mom doesn't care about me. She doesn't love me, she just says she does so she looks good to the town." He insisted. The worst thing was that I could see the poor kid believed he was unloved.

Henry's mouth fell open in shock but I cut in before he could say anything. "Listen Danny, I know things can be tough sometimes and moms can come across as strict, even a little mean sometimes, but at the end of the day, we really only want what's best for our kids. Henry will tell you, I can be a real hard ass sometimes." Henry nodded, a little too enthusiastic than I thought was strictly necessary. "But it's not because I don't love him, it's because I care about him enough that I'll do what's best for him, even if he doesn't like it or it upsets him for a while." I stood up and held my hand out to the poor kid, "Come on, we'll walk you home. I'm sure your mom's worried about you. It's…" I looked around at the clock tower and continued in confusion, "eight-fifteen?"

"That clock hasn't moved in my entire life," Danny told us as he stood up, grabbing a backpack for the side of the bench.

"Why hasn't anyone fixed it?" Henry wondered out loud.

"I don't know," Danny shrugged. "Nothing ever changes around here. It's just the same people, doing the same thing every day. I don't know why your uncle wants to move here. Storybrooke's a boring place."

"Huh." Henry frowned.

"Anyway. It's late, I'm sure your parents are worried so how about we give you a ride home, yeah?" I suggested. After a moment of hesitation, Danny nodded, took my hand and followed us back to the car.

"Hey there," August smiled, not moving from his perch on his bike, probably not wanting to scare the kid or something. "See Henry, I told you you'd make friends here." I shot him a look – that comment sounded far too much like 'I told you so' – which he returned with an innocent grin. "What's your name buddy?"

"This is Danny," Henry answered for him. "He ran away so we're giving him a ride home. Do you wanna come with us Uncle August?"

"Sure. Hey Danny," August bent down on one knee, "you've probably realised that we're new here, so do you think you could tell us a bit about Storybrooke on the way home? You know, just show us the places we pass?"

"I guess so," Danny shrugged.

"Great," my brother stood with a smile and gestured towards the bug. "Shall we?"

The four of us climbed into the car, August in the passenger seat and the kids in the back, Danny gave me brief directions to his house and spent the rest of the ride chatting to August and Henry about the town.

"This is it," Danny announced grumpily as I pulled up in front of a huge white house with a big yard, enclosed by neatly trimmed hedges.

"Really?" I'm pretty sure my eyebrows disappeared into my hairline in astonishment at the sight of the place.

"_This_ is your house?" Henry exclaimed in awe.

"Yeah, um, my mom's the mayor so, we've got money," Danny shrugged.

Out of the corned of my eye I saw August shift uncomfortably. I shot him a questioning look but he just shook his head and got out the car, letting the kids out of the back.

"You guys stay here," I decided once we were all on the street. "I'll take Danny in and then we can find a place to stay."

"The only inn in town is Granny's." Danny said, "It's behind the Granny's Diner; you have to go around the block."

"Well, ok. I'll get you home and then we'll go find Granny's. You like the fairy tale thing round here don't you?" They kid just looked confused so I shook my head and nudged him towards the gate.

"Do I have to go back?" he whined.

"Unless you've got another parent around here then yes," I stayed a step behind him, just in case the kid made a run for it.

"I don't have a dad," he mumbled.

"Yeah, well. Be grateful, kid. Some people don't even have a mom."

"Daniel?" A voice called before I could answer. I turned to see a middle-aged woman flying down the front steps and crushing Danny in a hug. _Doesn't care, huh?_ I couldn't help but think. "Danny where have you been?"

Danny shoved her off him and yelled, "Away from you!" and ran in to the house with tears in his eyes, pushing past the figure that had appeared in the door way.

"I'll umm, check on the boy," the figure said in an accented voice.

"Who are you?" The woman –mayor, I guessed—asked, trying to hide the hurt, shell-shocked expression with a mask of calm.

"Oh erm, I'm Emma. We, my family and I, just got to town. I saw Danny sitting on his own and offered him a ride," I explained awkwardly.

"Do you make a habit of picking up random children?" the woman snapped.

Shocked at the harshness of the accusation, I snapped back. "Look, I know this must have been a really hard night for you but I don't appreciate your implication. I'll tell you what I'm not _in the habit of_, leaving kids sitting in the street on their own in the middle of the night. If my son was ever in that situation I'd like to think someone would help him, so I suggest that you show a little more gratitude. If you don't like that I gave your kid a ride home then why don't you teach him not to take rides from strangers. I would have happily found a cop instead!"

"Whoa!" August's hand appeared on my shoulder, pulling me behind him. "Calm down Emma. I'm sure Madam Mayor was just worried about the kid."

"I'm worried about the type of people that have somehow wandered in to _my_ town!" The woman practically snarled.

_Whoa, possessive much?_ "Look lady-" I started but was cut off by the guy from the doorway

"So, other than being a tired little boy, Danny is fine. No harm done." As he got closer I couldn't help but notice that the accent wasn't the only thing this guy had going for him, but quickly shook that train of thought away.

"Thank you sheriff," the Mayor replied, her voice much softer then when she was addressing me.

Seeming to sense the tension the guy – sheriff – stepped around the Mayor so he was slightly in front of me and August. "Regina, why don't you go and tuck him in? I'll take care of our guests." With a final venomous glance, the mayor turned and headed back into her house. The sheriff watched her shut the door and then turned to us. "I'm sorry about Regina, she's had a stressful night, what with Danny running off and all."

"Of course," August answered, "no harm done."

I scoffed. "Speak for yourself," I muttered. August nudged me but the sheriff just smiled.

"Anyway, thanks for bringing Danny back, I'm just glad to see he's ok. The name's Graham, by the way." He held his hand out and August shook it.

"August."

"Emma," I smiled tightly. "Anyway we should-"

"Mom?" a voice came from behind us.

"Henry get back in the car. We'll be right there," I called over my shoulder. "Any way," I turned back to Sheriff Graham, "as _fun_ as this has been, we have to find a place to stay so… Goodnight." I turned to head back down the path, tugging on August's elbow so he'd follow.

"Actually," the sheriff caught up, stopping in front of us. "Granny's B&B is on my way back to the station. It's a lovely place. You guys could follow me there if you like?"

"Sure," I shrugged, "that's better than driving around the town blind, I guess." I walked back to the bug, with both men following. "Henry," I chastised half-heartedly when I saw him sitting on the hood, "I told you to get back in the car."


	9. Chapter 8

_**WOW! You guys, I have had so many new followers just since the preview I posted. Thank you SO much. I'm glad You're all enjoying this story.**_

_**Now I've just watched 4x02 so... spoilers ahead...**_

_**OMG! I absolutely loved it! I love the David/Anna relationship, love the Captain Charming 'your intentions with my daughter' scene... I pretty much loved everything but my favourite part of the episode were the little CS bits at the end. I just loved the way that they were there, in the background, not making a big deal out of CS but it just being there like it's supposed to be (because it is...) And I loved the way Emma just sort of clung to Killian when she got out of the ice, (I mean before her legs gave out, when she just wanted to hug him).**_

_**Ok gushing over now...**_

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Hey just one last <strong>IMPORTANT NOTE<strong> from here on out text that is in _**bold italics**_ signifies that the words are not being spoke out loud, they are being signed (ASL). Also if a person is both speaking and signing then it will be stated out side of speech marks when they begin to sign and it's just a given that the conversation is finished with both talking and ASL unless otherwise stated. **  
><strong>

Thanks, on with the story...

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><p><em><strong>E<strong>_

I awoke to blazing sunlight in my eyes, in an unfamiliar room. It took me a moment to get my bearings and remember where I was; August convincing me to come to Maine, finding a kid alone on the street and taking him home only to have a shouting match with his slightly crazy mother. I groaned at the memory. _Why did I let him talk me into this?_

"Henry?" I called when I saw the other bed in our tiny room was empty. As I looked around I saw that his shoes and jacket were also missing but his hearing aid was still on the night stand. Slight panic began to form in my chest before my eyes landed on a scrap of paper on his pillow.

_Hey Mom, _

_You sleep like the dead! Uncle August is taking me for breakfast, he says you should meet us down in the diner when you wake up._

_Love Henry _

I rolled my eyes and headed to the little en suite bathroom to freshen up before heading down to meet the boys.

The diner was reasonably busy with what seemed to be the tail end of the breakfast rush, so it took me a moment to scan the room before I found them, rapidly signing over what appeared to be August's photo album.

"Hey," I waved to get their attention and signed as I spoke, "You forgot this, Henry. You need to make sure you wear it, especially in a strange place."

"Sorry Mom," Henry smiled, taking his hearing aid and slipping it in. He was only partially deaf, and only in his right ear but after his treatment for meningitis we hadn't known how bad his hearing might get and I was already furious at August for paying the medical bill, hence I proudly refused to let him pay for the hearing aid as well. Instead I found a sign language class at a nearby community centre and the three of us went until we were completely fluent. As it turned out, Henry was mostly ok, despite the slight impairment but he could still get confused sometimes so I made sure signing was just as much a part of our life as English.

"So," I started, sliding into the booth next to August, "what incredibly unhealthy breakfast did you convince your Uncle to get you?" I glanced at the sticky, but otherwise empty, plate on my son's side of the table. "Syrup with a side of pancakes?" I raised an eyebrow but didn't really try to hide my amusement. Henry just grinned cheekily and sipped at his cocoa.

"Oh lay off Ems," August nudged me with his shoulder, "You act like I spoil the kid rotten."

"You do," I retorted.

"I'm not complaining," Henry insisted, smile still on his face.

"Yeah, we'll see if you're still thinking that way in a few months when it's time for the dentist," I raised an eyebrow. Henry just shuddered – he hated the dentist. "I'm going to get a coffee," I announced and glanced down to see that both of their cups were still over half full. "Try not to cause too much trouble. Henry, watch your Uncle," I teased earning a laugh from both of them.

Leaning against the counter, I tapped a text message on my phone, informing my boss that I was taking an impromptu vacation for a week and apologising for the lack of notice.

"Killian!" A voice suddenly called from over my shoulder, causing me to almost drop my phone before looking at the source of the noise in annoyance. "If nothing's burning I could use you at the counter." The tall brunette waitress, balancing three full plates of breakfast, smiled at me and continued in a voice slightly more appropriate for indoor use, "I'm sorry, Hon', we're a bit short staffed. Someone will be with you soon." I nodded and offered her a tight smile before sending my message and proceeding to tap my fingernails against the chrome counter.

"What can I get you, love?" At the sound of an English accent, I looked up and, embarrassingly, I had to grit my teeth to stop my jaw from dropping. In front of me was, without a doubt, one of the most gorgeous men I had ever laid eyes on. He was five or six inches taller than me, with a faint scar on his right cheek and dark scruff, that was somewhere between stubble and a full beard, lined his jaw until it met the thick black hair which was peeking out from beneath a blue bandana. It was his eyes, though, that were hands down his most striking feature. Deep blue eyes that suddenly seemed to register both my unfamiliar face and the fact that I'd been silent just a moment too long. "Well hello there," his slightly pink lips tugged into a smirk, as his eyes traced over my torso before locking back on mine. "When did you stumble into our quaint little town?"

I raised my eyebrows and, finally, found my voice, "I've been told that people don't visit this place often, but surely the town isn't so small that an unfamiliar face in a diner is noticeable?"

"Don't sell yourself short lass," the mystery guy leaned forward on his arms so that there was barely inches between us, and I could feel the warmth of his breath against my face - causing goose bumps to appear on my arms. "You are most definitely noticeable," he winked. I actually blushed, which only made his smirk widen as he slowly straightened up and went back to business. "The name's Killian Jones. Poor Ruby is rushed off her feet so I have the pleasure of serving you this fine morning. What can I get you Miss..?"

"I'd love a coffee, thanks," I replied, ignoring his prompt for my name - and quite proud of myself for that as I was still slightly breathless from the feeling of his breath on my lips a matter of seconds ago – and the way his accent almost caressed the word 'pleasure'. Jones didn't seem deterred though. He just grinned a toothy grin that actually made my knees a little weak before turning to get a mug and the coffee pot. With those azure eyes no longer fixed on mine, I steadied my breathing and willed my body not to get over excited. He was just a guy. A _ridiculously _hot guy, with a smirk that promised things that I really shouldn't have been imagining in the middle of a very public diner with my son only a few feet away... But still, just a cocky guy with far too much charm and who clearly knew his assets. No, this guy was trouble with a capital T.

I turned back to the table Henry and August were sat at in search of a distraction, only to find August's eyes were already on me. There was a frown creasing his brow and I was about to ask what was wrong when I saw his gaze shift over my shoulder. I rolled my eyes at his reaction, realizing that big brother mode had been activated merely by me talking to a guy.

_**You don't get to poke fun at my lack of personal life and then go into over protective brother mode at the sight of me ordering coffee, the very next morning,**_ I signed and turned back to the counter without giving him chance to answer.

"Your coffee, milady," Jones grinned.

"How much?" I reached for the few loose bills in my back pocket.

"On the house darling," he smirked, leaning forward once more, "on the condition that you tell me your name."

I smiled and tilted my head, acting like I was eating out of the palm of his hand – as I'm sure he was accustomed too – and slapped a five dollar bill on the counter. "Keep the change." With that I turned around to walk away, and almost collided with the sheriff.

"My apologies, Miss Swan." I smiled at him briefly as he stepped around me and focused on the man behind the counter. "Just a coffee to go today please, Killian. Thanks."

"Hang on a minute there Graham. Are you saying that you knew that this beautiful creature had appeared in our lives and you failed to tell me?" Killian asked with mock hurt, causing me to halt and look back at him in disbelief.

"Killian, I am quite sure that my job where you're concerned is to keep you out of trouble, not pass on town gossip. Now," Graham continued, slightly exasperated, "I don't mean to be rude but if you could hurry up so I could get back to my current priority of locating a missing little boy."

"The Mayor's kid again?" I asked with a frown.

"Yes," the sheriff turned back to me. "Thanks again for helping him out last night. The lad's been having a tough go of it lately."

"My pleasure. If you need a hand looking for him, I'd be happy to help," I offered, "Finding people is kinda what I do."


	10. Chapter 9

**Wow guys! 33 new followers since the last chapter! I am blown away, seriously, thank you so much! (Though if each of you guys could review I'd be immensely happy... just an idea...)**

**Thanks to _Boudicca1 _and_ EruditeRavenclawCompani_**_**on **_**for reviewing too. **

**So, what'd you guys think of this week's episode? The last scene? I for one have been waiting for Killian to go in for a kiss and I'm so not dissappointed. So, now that Emma's admitted to what's been holding her back do you think she'll stop pulling away? How do you think the Snow Queen knows Emma? What do you think of Will being back in Storybrooke? **

**I have my own thoughts/ideas of course but I'd love to hear yours xD**

_**Enjoy!**_

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><p><strong>Remember, <em>bold italics<em> are just signing. If a character is signing and speaking then the narrative will tell you when they start signing.**

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><p><em><strong>A<strong>_

Henry laughed, pulling my focus away from trying to figure out who the guy Emma was talking to at the counter was. Certainly not one of Snow White's most trusted allies, but that didn't necessarily make him a villain… He was probably just someone I'd never met.

"What?" I asked the kid.

"She's right you know. You did tease her about never having a real date last night. Besides, if she does like that guy surely that'd make it easier to convince her that we should stay here," he reasoned.

"You're a smart kid Henry," I smiled. After all these years he still surprised me, "but as much as I want for us all to stay here, I don't want it to be because of some sleazy guy."

"How do you know he's sleazy? You don't know him. Is this how you get every time Mom meets a guy? No wonder she doesn't date," the kid laughed, and I couldn't help but smile.

"That's not why she doesn't date, buddy," as soon as the words were out of my mouth, I realised I shouldn't have even hinted to that topic.

_**Is it because of my dad?**_ I swallowed thickly with guilt, both because of my role in the pain Neal caused Emma and because I knew that Henry only resorted to just signing when he was upset or nervous (or scheming, but clearly that wasn't the case here).

"Has your Mom ever talked about him?" I asked. I'd always liked it that Henry felt he could come to me with things, but this… this wasn't my conversation to have.

_**I asked about him once, it was a long time ago. When we still lived in NY. She just said that she lost contact with him before she found out she was pregnant. Did you know him?**_

"I…" I hesitated, Henry didn't seem to have inherited Emma's super power, but I still didn't want to lie to the kid. "I reconnected with your mom when you were one Henry. Just before you got sick. I can only tell you what your mom told me, but this is really something to ask her about. Not me."

_**It upsets her though.**_

"Talk out loud buddy. It's ok. She's talking to the sheriff," I encouraged. "I know you don't want to upset her and it isn't something that she likes talking about. I also know that your mom would rather you get the story from her than you keep wondering like she has to; I'm pretty sure she'd be pissed if I told you any of the few details I know. It took a long time for her to open up to me, buddy. I don't want to betray that trust, even to you. Do you understand?"

Henry nodded and went back to his cocoa. He was silent for a few minutes but decided to change the subject. "Still, you can't get all protective of mom just for talking to the guy. She was only getting a drink."

"The two of them said an awful lot in very close proximity for just ordering a coffee."

Before Henry could answer Emma slumped into the seat next to me. "I am perfectly capable of handling a guy hitting on me August. You don't have to give him the death glare." Henry laughed again.

"I thought it was us boys that ganged up against your mom," I pouted at the kid, good naturedly. "Traitor."

Emma just rolled her eyes. "Do you to think you can entertain yourselves this morning? Apparently Danny ran off again. I offered to help find him."

"Can't I come with you? I liked Danny," Henry asked, hopefully.

"You stay with your uncle kid. I'm sure you'll get another chance to hang out with him again. Besides, Uncle August was off gallivanting for nearly six months, this time. I'm sure you two have loads to catch up on, still."

"But I'd rather have an adventure with you than just hear about the ones he has without me!"

"Henry," I cut in. "Let your mom go. You don't know where Danny is. If he's in danger the last thing anyone needs is for you to get caught up in it as well. Don't worry, we'll have plenty of adventures here," I smiled.

"A week guys," Emma cut in sternly. "You two seem to be forgetting that we're only staying a week. So get your adventures in quick, without getting your selves killed."

"Geez Mom, why'd you have to take the fun out of it," Henry pouted and neither of us could help laughing.

"You ready?" the accented voice of the sheriff asked from behind us.

Emma nodded and gave me a one armed hug before she got up to kiss Henry's hair. "Be good. I'll be back as soon as we get the kid home."

With a few waves and farewells, I followed Emma and the sheriff out with my eyes, wondering if we could trust him. Sure he seemed like an alright guy but the Evil Queen wouldn't put one of the good guys in a position of power, right?

"You have the big brother look again," Henry pointed out with a small, knowing grin. "You don't think anyone is good enough for her do you?"

"We're not here for your mom to find a boyfriend, little man." I avoided his question. It's not that I didn't want Emma to find someone who would make her happy, because I wanted that for her more than anything. But I'd brought her and Henry to Storybrooke to break the curse. I couldn't let Emma get distracted by guys with accents. "So, what do you want to explore first? The town or the beach?"

"I wanna go up the clock tower!" Henry announced, suddenly buzzing with excitement.

I couldn't help but laugh.

.

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_**E**_

The Mayor made it _very_ clear that she wasn't happy that I was even in town, yet alone in her house, helping to look for her son. I sat in the desk chair, going through the kid's emails and recent files.

"This is a waste of time!" she barked, whether at me or Graham I wasn't sure because I was really trying my best to block her out. "You should be out there, looking for my son instead of sat here, humouring this… well who knows _what _she is. She could be a criminal before all we know!"

"I'm a bail bondsperson actually. You're welcome to run a security check but the bottom line is I find people who are better at hiding than a ten year old boy a lot faster than it takes for your sheriff to single-handedly check everywhere in town. Now, Danny only seems to email one person. A M. M. Blanchard. It looks like a city email address. Do you know who that is?" I looked up at the Mayor. If possible her eyes filled with even more fury. _So I guess that's a yes._

"She's Daniel's teacher. The school lets the students email their homework. You've found nothing, Miss Swan. Have a nice drive back to wherever you came from." With that she held the bedroom door open, clearly expecting me to leave.

"These last few emails don't have attachments though." I opened the links and quickly read through the conversation. "Danny was adopted?" thought out loud more than asked, but his mother exploded.

"How dare you! That is personal information that is quite frankly none of your business! How did you even know that?" she fumed, stepping closer to me in a way that was clearly meant to be intimidating.

"Danny wrote it in his emails. It's about some family tree assignment he hasn't handed in. Read for yourself." I turned the screen towards her and almost felt sorry for her when she swallowed hard reading 'I don't have family'.

When she straightened, without saying anything – there's a first for everything - I pulled out the drive with my recovery unit on it and plugged it in to the computer. After scrolling through his internet history I unplugged my USB drive and shut off the computer.

"He hasn't made any attempt to find his biological parents, at least not online, but I doubt a kid his age would know how to go about finding records any other way. But I know a thing or two about orphans and adopted kids, if he's feeling this way then chances are he has a place he likes to go. It'll be somewhere he feels safe, but nothing to do with you. Somewhere that's _his_, y'know?" I looked between the sheriff and mayor.

"The only places Daniel goes without me are school and to his therapy sessions. His safe place is in this house with his mother." She glared, clearly refusing to believe that the kid could need anything she hadn't given him. "As I said, this was a waste of time. You have found nothing, Miss Swan, so I'd like you to get out of my house, collect your brat and your boyfriend and get the hell out of my town."

I stood from the chair and got in her face, showing I wasn't the least bit intimidated. "You don't have to listen to me, even though you're being stupid and endangering your son by ignoring me." She opened her mouth to argue but I didn't give her chance. "No! I'm talking now! You don't have to let me stay in your house and I couldn't give a crap as to whether you like me or not. But the last I checked, there was no law against visiting Storybrooke. So I'm going to stay in town however long I like, and considering my _brother_ is trying to convince me to move here, that could well be a very long time. So I'd get used to it if I were you." I walked out the door calling a mocking "Madam Mayor," over my shoulder.


	11. Chapter 10

**Hiya :)**

**How are all you lovely people? Everyone survive the episode? I don't know about you guys but I'm torn between whacking Killian over the head for being such an idiot and strangling Gold for being such a dick...**

**Anyway, Thank you to the reviewers from last chapter: _aninternetfriend, Conan in love_ and especially_ the-art-of-escape_ for pointing out that mistake, it's all fixed now, thank you!**

**Warning guys, this is a long one (well, long compared to previous chapters)**

**Enjoy!**

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><p><strong><em>Bold italics <em>**are signing without speaking out loud, signing and talking will me pointed out in the narrative when signing starts.

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><p><em><strong>E<strong>_

Once outside I leaned against my car, waiting for Graham to follow me out. While I waited, I pulled the Storybrooke map that Henry had picked up in the B&B from my back seat and lay it across the hood. The paper was dry and slightly wrinkled as if it had sat on the shelf for years – based on the amount of dust Granny had wafted off the check in book the night before, it probably had – but it was still easy enough to read. I scanned the town to see if any place jumped out at me. It didn't. So I began a process of elimination. Storybrooke was a very isolated place, surrounded by woodland on three sides with the coast on the east and only one road in or out. There was nothing but woods for thirty miles in any direction…. It was almost as if whoever had built this place hadn't wanted it to be found.

"No wonder the tourism here is none existent," I mumbled under my breath.

"What was that?" an Irish accent asked.

I looked over my shoulder and saw Graham closing the Mayor's gate behind him. "Nothing, just thinking out loud. She always like that?"

"I'm sorry. Regina can be a bit… unwelcoming," was the phrase he eventually decided on.

I snorted in response. "Well that's one way of putting it. "Personally, I don't care," I assured the sheriff, still studying the map, "but her arrogance and hostility are putting that little boy at risk."

"Have you dealt with orphans before?"

I froze and looked up. Graham seemed genuinely curious, as if he'd asked my favourite colour. "Why'd you ask?" I responded, carefully.

"In the house," he gestured, looking mildly confuse at my suspicion, "you said you knew about orphans and children who'd been adopted."

"Oh," I shook my head in realisation. "Um, yeah, something like that." I refocused on the map. "A large portion of Storybrooke is woodland," I announced despite being sure that the sheriff already knew that. "Now the lovely mayor doesn't seem the type to take her kid camping on the weekends so there's no reason that Danny would feel safe there - even on the outskirts, near town." I scanned the coast line for a moment. "The beach looks pretty open on paper—that right?"

"Yeah, there's a couple of beach houses up here," he pointed, on the map, to a few buildings nestled between where the beach met the woods, "but other than that the entire beach is visible from the coast road."

"So that's not a likely hideout." I bit my lip in concentration, "that would make it somewhere in town… wait." I traced the road coming in to Storybrooke to the square, where I had found the kid the night before. "Last night I found Danny sitting on a bench around here." I looked up, knowing Graham knew this place a lot better than I did. "There any place around there a kid might go?"

"Well," he considered for a moment, eyebrows drawing together in a frown, "there's a small playground over here," he pointed to a green area on the other side of the square. "It's not much more than a swing set but-"

"No," I cut him off. "This isn't somewhere he can go to play. This place is where he hides. Where he goes when he feels like he has nobody who cares for him. A safe place for when he's at his most vulnerable…" I trailed off, remembering the crawl space I used to squeeze into when I was eight and in a particularly nasty foster home.

"So what sort of places are looking for?" Graham asked, breaking me out of my depressing trip down memory lane.

"Umm, it could be anything, really. As long as he could guarantee he'd be alone. Maybe an unused garage, an old out building, if there's a shop storage room there'd be plenty of places a kid his age could hide, an empty building or abandoned car-"

"Wait," Graham suddenly stopped me, pointing to the far side of the square, "There used to be a library underneath the clock tower but it's been closed for years."

"And it's right where I found him last night," I pulled the map off the car and moved towards the door. "Let's go, don't use your siren. It'll only scare him."

With a nod, Graham returned to his squad car and we both took off to the centre of town. When we reached the clock tower Graham went to try the door handle but I quickly grabbed his hand to stop him. At the contact Graham looked up. With his eyes locked on mine and the feel of his calloused fingers returning my grip, I was suddenly aware of how long it had been since I'd spent this long with a man who wasn't a perp (or August).

And then I realised what I was thinking and quickly pulled my hand away. "He'll hear if you try to open it. It's unlikely that he uses the front door, so let's see if we can find his way in first."

"Oh," Graham cleared his throat, "Um, good idea."

With that we started making our way around the building with at least a foot between us at all times (I made sure). As we went I checked all the window boards for any signs that they'd been moved, trying my best not to make a sound. Eventually I found an alley-way leading to a back entrance. The space was barely wide enough for the door to open but it was enough for a small child to run down without being noticed. The door was stainless steel, very industrial looking for a library, but was in working condition and – most importantly – the latch was open.

"Let me go in," I told Graham in a low voice. "Danny associates you with his Mom. He probably won't fight you but he won't talk to you either," I paused for a moment and looked him in the eye for the first time since the hand holding incident, "and this kid really needs to talk to someone, Graham." I pleaded with my eyes for a moment before he sighed and nodded.

"Five minutes, then I follow you in."

"Five minutes is what it'll take to convince him I'm here to listen," I pointed out, slowly pulling the door open. I winced at a small creak but it wasn't too loud. Once there was enough space for me to squeeze inside, I grinned back over my shoulder, "You'll give me ten." It wasn't a question, or an order—just a fact. Graham would give me ten minutes because I needed it, and somehow I knew he'd respect that.

As expected, the library was dark inside, but there was just enough light coming through the door for me to watch where I was stepping. Rather than trying to find some light to search by, I stopped and listened. After a few moments I heard the faint sound of a page turn, a smile tugged at the corner of my lips and I followed the sound to one of the far rows. Right at the end, crammed between the bookcases, was Danny, reading with a flash light and completely oblivious to my presence.

I walked over and saw the cover of the book _Genealogy: The Art of Tracing Your Ancestry._ "That one's useless," I told the kid, announcing my presence. The poor guy jumped a foot in the air but I just sat down next to him, as if me showing up to have a chat in an abandoned library was a regular occurrence. "It basically works on the assumption that you have a bunch of photo albums full of dated pictures of everyone you're related too."

"How do you know? How did you even find me?" Danny asked, seemingly confused that I'd chosen to sit down instead of dragging him out of there.

"Well," I sighed, deciding in that moment that I'd share at least a bit of my story with him. The kid deserved to know he wasn't alone. "I found you because I'm awesome at my job," I joked to lighten the mood (kind of useless considering the next words out of my mouth), "and I know about that particular book because I've read it; cover to cover, twice." I looked him in the eye, doing my best to show him I was genuine. "It was the first book I found when I started looking for my parents."

Danny's eye widened, "Y-you were adopted too?" he stuttered in disbelief.

"Yep," I took the book from his hands and gently tossed it out of sight so I had his full attention. "When I was nine months old. Do you know how old you were when you came to your mom?"

"I'm not sure," he shrugged. "I know I was a baby because mom has pictures but I don't know how old exactly."

"But she's been there your whole life right. She's the one that raised you for as long as you can remember." I pointed out.

"That doesn't mean she loves me!" Danny insisted and stood up, his voice raising almost to a shout. "You're going to say the same thing as Miss Blanchard, but just because she's the only mom I have doesn't automatically mean she loves me!"

"Hey, hey," I raise my hands in a pacifying gesture, "if you shout like that you're gonna give away your hide out. It's a pretty cool place too," I commented, making a show of looking around the darkened bookcases. "I promise, that wasn't what I was going to say, ok? Just sit down for another few minutes." After a measuring look, that I knew I often wore myself, Danny reluctantly sat back down against the wall. "Good. Now I was just asking that so I knew whether you remembered your birth parents or any other families. Ok?"

"Why does that matter if it's not so you can say the same as Miss Blanchard?"

"Because, the difference between you and me is that I don't just remember one Mom."

Danny frowned, "But you just said you were adopted when you were a baby. No one can remember anything when they're nine months old!"

"No," I chuckled with little humour, "I can't. But when I was three the people who adopted me sent me back. I don't remember much about them because I was so young, but I do remember that I called them Mommy and Daddy. I remember that I loved them and that they were all I'd ever known, and they sent me back like I didn't matter because they were going to have a baby of their own." I let that sink in for a second, giving myself a moment too. _Damn it Emma! You're not a kid anymore, you're over them._

"One of my old case workers told me that I cried for them every night for weeks, insisted that they were coming back for me. They never did though," I shrugged as if that didn't matter. "I was passed from foster home to foster home until I aged out of the system. So you see Danny, you're one of the lucky ones."

He opened his mouth to argue but I stopped him before he had chance. "No, let me finish. From what I've seen of Regina, I doubt she'd the conventional mom, over flowing with maternal love, but she adopted you ten years ago and you're still here. I know that you feel like she doesn't love you, Danny, but even you can't deny that she wants you. That's something that me and so many other kids have never had."

He looked down and nodded, still somewhat sombre about it. I followed his eyes to a stack of books at his feet. "I don't know why I'm looking for my real parents. It's not like they're going to want me now when they never did," he mumbled.

My heart squeezed with an overwhelming amount of empathy that left me unable to brush the comment aside and take him home. "You don't know that Danny," I whispered.

"Sure I do. My mom might still be here but they never have been."

"No," I agreed, "they haven't, but there are so many reasons why people give their children up for adoption Danny. Not wanting a baby is only one of them. And I know this because I was going to give Henry up for adoption."

"You were?" If nothing else I'd shocked him, for sure. "Why? What made you change your mind?"

"When I found out I was pregnant I was alone. I had no money and I didn't even have a place to live," I wondered if this stuff was too heavy to be loading on to a ten year old, but the bottom line was that he needed some hope right now more than he needed to be babied.

"I was going to give Henry up because I knew that I couldn't offer him a good life. I thought-" I broke off, altering my word choice, "I _knew_ that he'd have his best chance with somebody who had the means to provide for him. Let me tell you, it took me a long time and a lot of hard work to get us to a place where I could give him a good life." It took pain and tears and it took me swallowing my pride and accepting August's help when he offered.

"Eventually it all worked out and now I'm able to give Henry everything he needs, but I didn't know that would happen back then. Realising how much I loved Henry from the second he was born didn't make me change my mind. It was how I grew up. If I gave him a way, there would be a chance that he would end up growing up in the system, like I did. I knew how unforgiving the system could be and I couldn't bear the idea that my baby might grow up never knowing love and stability.

"But imagine a mom who grew up with a family that loved them, but somehow ended up in the situation I was in. They wouldn't know anything about the foster system. All they'd know is that their baby would go to parents, or a single parent, who wanted a baby so much that they weren't waiting for it to happen naturally; they were adopting, and the adoption agency would make sure that they were able to give that baby a good life. Like whatever agency it was that did that for you and your mom. So you see, you don't know that your birth parents didn't want you, but you do know that your mom does. And I know I don't know either of you very well, but I'm pretty sure she loves you too," I smiled. Eventually Danny nodded, so I stood up with a grin. "So, how about we get you home, and I convince Graham to tell your mom we found you sitting on the beach, yeah?"

.

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_**A**_

"So I went to this bar and there was a woman there, she was American too, and she told me that she was dying but she'd heard about this old man there in Hong Kong. She said people called him The Dragon-"

"No way!" Henry interrupted with his mother's scepticism, but he was still clearly interested in my story so I put my arm around his shoulders and the pair of us walked along the slightly pebbled beach as I recounted my trip to China (the child-friendly bit's anyway. I was rather fond of my body parts and I was quite sure that Emma would relieve me of some if I talked about the beautiful Chinese girls I'd met).

"I'm serious! I almost laughed when she said it. I'm pretty sure he's not an actually dragon-that's just what people call him. Anyway, this woman told me that she'd heard he could cure anything. So she got on a plane and went to see him. She said he knew what was wrong with her as soon as she walked in the room and he gave her this little vial in exchange for… well a lot of money and a picture of her and her grandmother. She showed me the vial, and honest to god, I swear on my humble little life… It. Glowed."

Henry gasped in amazement. "Like really glowed, glowed?"

"Yep."

"Wow!" he paused for a moment considering. "Do you think it was magic?" he asked eventually.

"Well what else could it be?"

"So, you believe in magic?" Henry questioned and I couldn't help but smile. Henry was going to be vital in helping Emma break the curse.

"Sure, don't you?"

"Mom doesn't," was his instant reply, and I chuckled before leaning down on one knee so my eyes were level with his.

"I know your mom doesn't, Henry. She's been through a lot of stuff that makes it very hard for her to believe in anything that she doesn't have any evidence for," I explained, hoping he wouldn't ask any questions about that. But I didn't really give him chance too anyway. "What do _you_ believe, Henry?"

Henry spent a moment chewing on his lip in consideration. "Magic has to be real," he decided. "I mean for hundreds of years everyone believed in magic and there's so many stories and legends about it. That can't all be based on nothing, right?"

"No," I smiled. "It certainly can't. We'll convince your mom one day buddy," I assured him, standing up again, "but for now, let's focus on getting her to make the move, yeah?"

"Ok." We walked in silence for a few minutes before Henry suddenly took off, shouting behind him. "Hey Uncle August! Look at this!"

"Henry!" I jogged to keep up with the kid, squinting against the sun in effort to see what had him so excited.

Eventually, I saw it was an old playground. It was run down, clearly hadn't been in use for years – well, it'd been in that state for twenty-eight years so I highly doubted that a single kid had ever stepped foot on it – but it looked to be stable enough considering Henry was already jumping around on it. He laughed out loud and shouted about how cool it was.

"It's like a little castle, Uncle August! C'mon, come see!" When I finally reached the climbing frame I gave the boards a quick once over—they all seemed sturdy enough, no damp or crumbling wood that I could see. It was just a weather-worn old climbing frame, a lick of paint and some bolts with less rust and it would probably look brand new. Henry, however, seemed to love it as it was, and seeing him so excited about it brought a smile to my face. All thoughts of curses were forgotten for the moment.

"Hey, Uncle August?" Henry asked, once he'd calmed down a bit.

"What's up, little man?"

"Why did The Dragon want a picture of the woman and her Gran? I mean you said she paid a lot of money, so why ask for a picture too? What would he do with it.?"

"I don't know all that much about magic, buddy," I answered, "but I do know that most of the stories say it comes from our emotions. So because of that, it would make sense that things that mean a lot to us would be powerful."

Henry frowned in consideration but I could tell that he didn't really see what I was getting at, so I reached behind my neck and pulled off the chord I always wore. "You see this?" Henry nodded. "Well the whale means nothing, it's just a cheap pendant that I picked up on my travels, but the chord, that's special to me."

"Why? It's just a chord," the kid was clearly confused but I bit back my chuckle and explained as best I could.

"To you and to pretty much anyone else in the world, yeah, it's just an old piece of chord that doesn't mean anything. Something that could be replaced by any other chord. To me though, it's the most important thing I own, because this chord is from a puppet that my father made." Henry's eyes widened then but he let me continue. "I've had this chord for as long as I can remember and it was in my pocket the day that my father sent me away."

"Your dad sent you away? Why'd he do that?" Henry asked. Of course he asked, precocious thing that he was, I really should have been prepared for it.

"I don't remember much from when I still lived with my dad, Henry. I know that something really bad was happening, but I was only seven and didn't really understand." I hoped that was enough of an explanation.

"Did you ever see him again?"

"Not yet, but I like to think one day I will," I smiled and looked towards the town, where I knew my father's workshop was. "But in the meantime, I'm going to keep holding on to this chord, just like I have my whole life. Growing up I'd clutch it in my hand if I was upset or angry or I didn't know what to do. I'm held on to this chord through every emotional time in my life. So that makes it sort of a talisman of my emotions. So can you see why this would be powerful, not as a piece of chord, but as something that's important to me?"

"Like the picture of the woman and her grandmother," Henry smiled.

"Exactly like that."


	12. Chapter 11

**_Bold italics _**are signing without speaking out loud, signing and talking will me pointed out in the narrative when signing starts.

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Graham was certainly reluctant to keep Danny's hide out a secret.

"We can't teach the boy to lie to his mother, not to mention it being so unprofessional!" He'd insisted in hushed tones.

"I know that! But to be perfectly honest, I don't care! The kid is already lying and keeping stuff from his mom—outing him isn't going to change that—so I don't really see the harm in letting him keep the secret." I took a breath and thought how best to explain where I was coming from without telling Graham about my past.

"Look it's about building trust, right? Regina already trusts you and she's never going to trust me so we don't have to worry about her, but Danny? That kid is going through something that honestly, you couldn't understand; he needs this place Graham. To us it's just an old building with some dusty books, but to him it's a sanctuary. That library is probably the one place he can go and not feel judged or like an outsider. Where he can just be himself and it doesn't matter if he's upset or scared or lonely." He still looked reluctant. "Look, the building isn't unstable, it's just empty so there's no danger in him being there. So if we keep it to ourselves then if he runs off again you'll know where to look and, most of all, Danny will know that he can trust me, he'll know he can talk to me so he might not feel the need to run off."

"But you're only staying here for a week, Emma," Graham pointed out and I realised that I'd been speaking as if I would always be here, in Storybrooke so the kid could drop by whenever. "What happens when you go back to Boston and Danny is spending all his time in that library because we let him think that it's ok? Am I supposed to just keep it a secret then? Sooner or later Regina will know I'm lying."

I bit my lip, somewhat conflicted. "I know it's not fair to ask you to do this Graham, but Danny is my priority here and telling his mom where he goes to hide from her? Surely you see that there is no way that that helps the kid!"

The sheriff looked down at his boots, the poor guy seemed pretty torn himself and I honestly felt bad about putting him in that situation. "Look, I'll talk to him, ok? Tell him that he can't run off all the time or we'll have to tell his mom, and I'll make sure he knows he can talk to me too. Even if-," I was doing it again, acting like I was actually considering staying in town, "_when_ I go back to Boston, he has a computer and I'm sure there's a phone he can use; so it won't matter that I'm not here, I'll still be able to lend an ear when he needs it."

After a long pause Graham finally nodded with a sigh. "Ok, _but_ if he keeps making a habit out of this I will have to tell Regina. You have to make sure he knows it's not ok for him to spend all his time in there. He's technically committing a crime Emma."

"He deserves some slack, Graham," I told him with a small grin. "I promise you won't regret giving it to him, ok? Let me talk to him quickly and then you can take him home. It'll be a whole lot better if I'm not there to antagonise the _lovely_ mayor by merely breathing."

With a chuckle, Graham nodded and I went to talk to Danny through the open cruiser window, I gave him my cell number and email address and told him Graham's conditions for keeping his secret before saying my goodbyes and wandering off to find my own kid.

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_**A**_

Henry's adventure in his castle had apparently made up for us not being able to go up the clock tower, and we'd had a good scout around town so we made our way back to the square. I figured that would be the best place to wait for Emma without being stuck in my room at the B&B. I smiled as Henry immediately climbed on to my bike, imitating engine noises and stretching his arms out to try and reach the handlebars.

"Can we go for a ride Uncle August? Please..?" he begged with his best puppy dog eyes and lower lip sticking out slightly. That face was really hard to resist (not that I'd ever admit that—I already got enough stick from Emma about spoiling the kid) but I had to laugh at his request.

"Tell me something little man," I crossed my arms and leaned against a lamppost, "do you like having an uncle?"

Henry frowned, obviously thinking the question was strange. "Err, yeah… of course I do. I'm glad you're a cool uncle," he grinned, all innocence, not like he was trying to get around me or anything. "In stories and on TV they're always either really cool or really creepy with no in between."

I chuckled again. "Well Henry, as much as I appreciate your subtle flattery," I smirked knowingly, "I'm not taking you out on the bike, because if I let you even sit on this baby while the engine was running I can guarantee that your Mom would ensure you were uncle-less. No matter how cool I am," I winked.

"Uncle, hey?" an accented voice came from behind me. I turned and saw the guy Emma had been talking to that morning. He was standing a few yards behind me, with his hands in the pocket of the red hoodie he was wearing under a beaten up leather jacket, looking perfectly at ease despite being right in the middle of the road.

"So that would make you the brother of the lovely Miss Swan then? And you her boy?" He peered around me at Henry. He seemed just genuinely curious about the new people in town, but it was obvious that Emma's looks had him a little more interested. "I have to say you look nothing alike."

"No, we don't," I agreed, eyeing the Englishman warily. There was really no reason not to trust him; from what I could tell the curse had brought four whole kingdoms to Storybrooke, and this guy didn't seem to have any sort of power in town, so he was probably just a random person back in our land.

"Name's August," I finally introduced myself, even held my hand out for him to shake, though I still just didn't like the guy, "August Booth."

The stranger's eyebrows rose, as he pulled his right hand out of his pocket to accept the greeting. "Booth?" he asked in confusion. "Not Swan? Are you her step-brother or something?" he looked between the two of us before settling on Henry. "You, my boy, look just like your mother, and while break ups are a nasty affair, please don't tell me that she's married to your father. That would spoil all my fun," he winked.

I glared, as my shoulders tensed and I clenched my fists. Henry laughed, suddenly so I turned to look at him. _**Big brother mode: activated.**_ He signed cheekily.

"Oh," the guy froze, realising what the signing meant but before he could decide if he'd offended us or not, Henry spoke up.

"It's ok," he started, still signing, "I'm not completely deaf and I can hear you just fine 'cause I have a hearing aid. I actually prefer it when people don't notice it because then they talk to me like a normal person. Some people see it and then start shouting or saying things, like, really exaggerated, thinking I need them to do that to read lips. It's really weird."

"Well then, my boy, I'm glad to not be acting weird around you," he laughed. "My name's Killian. Welcome to Storybrooke. How are you finding it?"

"Thanks, I'm Henry," he smiled, still signing. To Killian's credit, he seemed to take it in stride, glancing at Henry's hands as if mildly interested in the language, but looking at his face for the most part. "We've been exploring the beach, it's really cool. My mom's not married by the way."

"Oh?" Killian asked, obviously pleased with this information, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Henry was right. Based on the scowl I immediately wore, the only reason I didn't like this guy was that he'd been hitting on my little sister. "Why the different surnames then, if you don't mind my asking?" he glanced between Henry and I.

"They're not brother and sister by blood. They were in the same foster ho-"

"Henry," I cut him off –not quick enough though, "I'm sure your mom's told you not to tell strangers your life story. Why don't you ask Killian about the town or something, instead of talking about your mom."

Realising his mistake, Henry bit his lip sheepishly but dutifully changed the subject. "Why does the clock not work? Is that why we can't go up in the tower?"

Killian smiled, sending a brief nod of understanding my way before he started happily chatting about the town.


	13. Chapter 12

**Hi people, here's another chapter :) Thanks to Daydreamr4ever for reviewing and to everyone who's favourited/followed this story. You guys are Awesome.**

**One thing to note, up until now I've mentioned whenever a character is signing and speaking out loud, but I feel like that is hurting the narrative a bit because Henry always signs and Emma and August sign when talking to him. So from now on it's safe to assume that Henry is always signing and if Emma or August are talking to him then they are too, unless otherwise stated.**

**Also, as of next chapter there will be POVs other than Emma and August.**

**Thank you, I hope you like the chapter :)**

**Enjoy!**

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><p><strong><em>Bold italics <em>**are signing without speaking out loud, signing and talking will me pointed out in the narrative when signing starts. Accept for Henry, who is always signing, and Emma and August who always sign when talking to Henry, unless otherwise stated.

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I heard the knocking as I turned the shower off and reached for the nearest towel. "Henry, I'll be out in a minute, do not answer that door." Despite everyone in this town being nice enough so far, I didn't feel comfortable enough to be ok with Henry answering the door. If it was August he would have shouted through the door. I pulled my pyjama pants back on with my tank top and started towel drying my hair on the way out of the bathroom.

"It's some lady," Henry told me, he'd moved a chair over to the door and was standing on it so he could reach the peephole.

"Well get down so I can answer it." As he dragged the chair back to its rightful place I looked myself and groaned out loud before reaching for the door knob. "Madam Mayor," I greeted. "What can I do for you?"

"Did you know the Honey Crisp tree is the most vigorous and hearty of all apple trees?" I frowned, not even trying to hide the confusion on my face as I took in the basket full of apples (honey crisps I guessed) she was holding. "It can survive temperatures as low as forty below and keep growing. It can weather any storm."

Why was she talking about apple trees? "I have one that I've tended to since I was a little girl," she picked one of the apples from the basket and looked at it like it was her pride and joy as she held it out to me, "and to this day, I've yet to taste anything more delicious than the fruit it offers."

"Thanks," I replied, taking the apple, hesitantly. "Is there a reason you decided to swing by with some apples and a botany lesson?" I asked, eyebrows raised and openly suspicious.

"I wanted to apologies for my behaviour yesterday," _lie_ I immediately thought. "You were only trying to help find Danny, however useless your input may have been."

I scoffed but the mayor just smiled, one of those sickly sweet smiles that doesn't make any attempt to conceal how fake it is, and held the basket out to me. "I thought you and your son might enjoy these on your ride home."

Before I could say anything Henry shouted out behind me, "What?" I turned, ignoring the mayor and crouched to Henry's height as he came running over looking damn near heartbroken. _**We're leaving? We have to stay! Mom you promised we'd stay at least a week! You promised!**_

_**Hey,**_ I dropped the apple not caring how rude it might seem to sign in front of the mayor without speaking, _**we're not leaving today, ok? The Mayor might not want us here but she can't kick us out. I said a week so we'll stay a week. Why don't you go see if Uncle August is up?**_

With a nod, Henry pushed past the Mayor and walked down the hall without bothering to put his shoes on.

"He's deaf?" the Mayor asked and I glared. Not because of the question but because her tone reeked of judgment, whether of me or Henry I wasn't sure, but she had no right.

"Partially," I snapped. "Not that it's any of your business. Let me just clear something up for you _Regina_. I have no intention of leaving this town in the foreseeable future and, no matter how many poorly concealed insults or threats you send my way, you are not going to change my mind."

"Since when are apples a threat?" she asked innocently.

"I can read between the lines. I suggest you get used to seeing me around here because I happen to be focusing on _my_ son's best interests. You might want to do the same. Have a nice day." I shut the door with a small slam and turned to finish getting ready for my day. I knew comment about Danny was low but she'd upset Henry. Besides, from what I'd seen she really was oblivious to what Danny was going through, and just how much pain it caused him.

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_**A**_

When Henry came barging into my room with tears in his eyes and signing so fast that I could barely keep up I knew that something was wrong. I tried to calm him as best I could, but inside I was equal parts seething at the Evil Queen and worried about Emma. I knew that she could take care of herself and that there was no magic for the queen to use in Storybrooke, but that woman was dangerous.

I took Henry downstairs for breakfast and distracted him with a Hong Kong dollar bill for his scrapbook and more stories from my travels until Emma joined us.

**Everything ok?** I asked, signing because Henry had forgotten his hearing aid, and she nodded, bringing her hand to her chin in the sign for 'bitch' while Henry wasn't looking.

**What you got there, kid?** She asked but Henry just kept flipping the bill over, trying to decide which side he wanted to stick down when he stuck it in the scrap book. **Hey, Henry. I promise we're not leaving yet. Ok?**

**What's the point?** He asked, climbing out of the booth. **You're going to take me back to Boston at the end of the week anyway so we might as well just go now.** With that he turned and stormed over to the counter.

Emma dropped her head into her hands. "He looked so upset when he thought we were leaving today, August." She glanced up at me as if she needed me to tell her what to do and I hated seeing her so unsure of herself. "We've only been here a day and he's already so attached to this place. How can I take him away from here?"

I sighed and squeezed her arm gently. "Look Ems, you know that I want to stay here. I think this place is great for all of us, but Henry is your kid. It's your call—you have to do what you think is best for him, just like you always have."

Before Emma could say anything else another voice interrupted. "Um, is Henry alright?"

Emma looked up and forced a smile. "Hi Danny. Henry's a little upset this morning, he'll be alright though. Are you ok? Shouldn't you be at school?"

"I'm just going to get the bus but I wanted to ask you for a favour… you don't have to. I was just wondering…" He trailed off.

"Well, that depends on what the favour is. Spit it out buddy, I'm not good at guessing games," Emma encouraged and I smiled at how easily she was connecting with the kid. Maybe it was just the fact that she saw some of herself in Danny, or that she was good with kids because of Henry, but I was hoping that at least part of the reason was that she knew she had to help the people in this town.

"Could you help me find my parents?"


	14. Chapter 13

**Hi guys, sorry this is a little late, I try to always have at least two chapters ready, so I won't leave you guys hanging for weeks on end. But I've been kinda busy with Uni these past few weeks, so I only have one written after this. I will do my best to get a few chapters out over the next week but if it's not coming, I'm not going to force it. Hope you understand.**

**Thanks to _SallyBTW (Guest) _for the review, this chapter is a little longer lol.**

**And to all the favourites/follows.**

**And just to do some advertising on behalf of a fellow writer, one of the best CS fanfics I have ever read (ForPony39's 'The Daring And The Devious') has been revised and published as _Risking the Rogues_ by Tegan O'Ryan. I just got my copey this morning and will probably not be removed from it all day, lol.**

**As always, thanks to JJ for having a meticulous eye for detail and going over this chapter twice, because she's just that awesome.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p><strong><em>Bold italics <em>**are signing without speaking out loud, signing and talking will be pointed out in the narrative when signing starts. Accept Henry, he's always signing, and Emma and August always sign when Henry is there, unless otherwise stated.

* * *

><p><em><strong>K<strong>_

"Ruby, Leroy's usual," I called through the serving hatch without looking up, absentmindedly wondering how the poor bloke hadn't had a heart attack yet. Every morning without fail, a full fry up with sausage, bacon and eggs, substitute the hash browns for more bacon _and_ a side of bacon. Surely that and beer wasn't a healthy diet.

"Bring it out yourself." I glanced up from flipping pancakes to see that the diner was busy, but our waitress was thoroughly distracted by the doctor. "Can't you see I'm busy out here?"

"Of course, how silly of me," I couldn't help but chuckle at Ruby's antics. "Can you manage without me back here, Granny? I'll be quick."

"So long as you remind that girl that we're actually running a business here, not speed dating," I laughed once again at the grumbling.

Once I'd placed the plate of breakfast in front of Leroy, I scanned the counter for any other customers that Ruby might have been neglecting. Luckily there was only one—the young lad I'd met yesterday, Swan's son; only he was far from the cheerful, laughing boy I'd spoken to before. He was slumped over the counter, eyes slightly red as if he'd been crying and seemed to be lost in his own thoughts (unpleasant ones if the frown on his face was anything to go by). I called through to Granny for some chocolate chip pancakes – what kid didn't like chocolate chip anything for breakfast? – and walked over.

"Henry," I greeted, but he didn't look up. "Lad? You alright?" Still nothing. I glanced at the boy's ear and couldn't see his hearing aid, so I knocked on the counter in front of him.

"Huh?" he jumped. "Oh, hi Killian."

"You alright?" I repeated.

The boy's brow creased for a moment, he seemed confused by the question, though I thought it simple enough. "Am I ok?" he asked slowly, signing as well. I nodded with a small frown of my own—could I still talk to him easily without the hearing aid? How bad was his hearing, without it, anyway? "I'm sorry, I forgot my hearing aid. Could you stand that side?" he pointed.

I happily obliged, assuming the left was his better ear. "Not a problem lad. Is your forgetfulness by any chance connected to the teary eyes?" I prodded. Henry just looked away. "What happened? I can be a pretty good listener when I want to be."

"It's stupid," the boy mumbled.

"Come now lad. If it's got you upset then it can't be that stupid to you, so it's not stupid to me either."

Henry studied me for a moment, as if trying to determine whether I was telling the truth. "My Mom wants to leave."

"Leave Storybrooke?" I frowned a bit at that piece of news. Despite only sharing a few words with the woman, I couldn't help but feel a tad disappointed about the idea of her leaving so soon.

"Yeah. Uncle August got back from traveling a few days ago and said he wants us to move here. We convinced Mom to visit for a week and I hoped that when we got here she'd want to stay, but just now this lady came by with a load of apples and said they were for the drive home."

I hummed as I considered the problem. Apples certainly sounded like Regina, and she had stormed through the diner earlier - the mayor being tempestuous was really not uncommon. Why would she be so eager for the Swan/Booth clan to leave, though? At the very least their visit would be good for tourism. Why try to run them out of town? "And what did your Mum say?"

"That we'd stay for the week."

"So we've got, what? Six days to convince her to stay?"

"We?" he asked in surprise. "You'll help me?"

"Well," I started with a small grin, "I'm sure it'll be a challenge, but I'm up for it. How about you?"

Henry just smiled, all traces of sadness gone.

"Well, now that that's settled, how do you sign chocolate chip pancakes?"

He laughed and showed me the sign. It took me a few goes to get it right, or as close as I could with my prosthetic (which the lad looked at curiously but didn't comment on), but Henry seemed satisfied. I turned to grab the plate from the serving hatch and placed it in front of the boy.

_**Chocolate chip pancakes for Henry, **_I signed, rather proud of myself for remembering how he signed his name the day before. Especially when his face seemed to light up at my interest in his language. "I'm afraid I have to get back to work now lad, why don't you take that over and work on getting your mum to change her mind?"

I watched him walk across the diner, chuckling when I saw his feet were clad only in bright blue socks. It was only then that I realised that Swan was watching us. I nodded and flashed her a smile this time, instead of a flirty smirk, before going back to the kitchen.

.

.

.

_**E**_

Henry and I were walking along the beach. He was back to his usual self, happily chatting about the castle he and August found (an old playground I gathered) and how cool it was. He'd been in a much brighter mood since he came back to the table at breakfast. I didn't know what he and the cook - Killian - had talked about, but it had put a smile on my kid's face when he'd been more upset than I could ever remember him being. For that, I couldn't help the surge of gratitude towards the guy, arrogance and charm aside. I just had to make sure that gratitude was the only thing I felt, I didn't have room in my life for a man. I had Henry now; if I let another guy in then I wasn't the only one who'd get hurt.

But I couldn't quite get the image of Henry teaching Killian to sign out of my head. No one had ever taken that much interest in learning ASL for him before. Hell! Mrs. Benson, our neighbour in Boston, had baby sat Henry for four years and the only sign she'd bothered to learn was 'bed time,' choosing to just point at her ear and to tell him to put his hearing aid in if he misheard her. Ever since we left New York and our old community centre behind, it had only been me and August who signed. Yet here was this guy, a complete stranger, who was putting in the effort straight away. And he only had one hand!—something I'd only noticed that morning, and wondered how I could possibly have missed that yesterday. Henry never complained, but I knew he was more comfortable signing than talking. So when I heard Killian ask Henry to show him, that it was _his_ idea… I couldn't help but be a little touched by the gesture. Not that I'd ever admit that. To anyone.

I shook my head, trying to shake the memory of Mr. Tall, Dark and British smiling at my kid. Even thinking about the fact that he went out of his way to cheer Henry up was dangerous. Unfortunately, the only other thing I could think about at that moment was the heartbreak on Henry's face at the very idea of leaving town. Boston had been our home for five years! He had his school and all his friends there. How could he have gotten so attached to this town is such a short period of time? Even as I asked myself the question though, I couldn't help but think of how I'd spoken to both Graham and Regina as if I'd be sticking around. I'd said it without even realising, after I'd been so adamant about going back to Boston… I couldn't explain it but I just had this feeling, like I was _meant_ to be here.

The sound of a siren snapped me out of my thoughts and I reached for Henry's shoulder, because even after he went to get his shoes he'd _still_ forgotten his hearing aid. I was going to have to start carrying his spare around with me, or just make a lot of extra trips back to our room. I saw the Sherriff's car pull up above the beach and Graham climbed out with a wave.

"Hey," I called, pointlessly brushing away the hair in my face as the wind just continued to blow it around.

"Just the person I was looking for," Graham called as he walked towards us. "Hello Henry," he smiled before turning back to me. "There's just something I want you to consider."

I raised my eyebrows, a silent indication for him to go on. "You were a big help with Danny yesterday; you look at things differently than I do, and I think I could use your input around here. I know you weren't planning on staying in Storybrooke but when we were talking about Danny…"

There was the _other_ thing I was trying not to think about. What the hell was I supposed to tell the kid when he asked me to find his parents? I'd just frozen, not saying anything until Danny said he had to go and asked me to think about it.

"… so anyway." I shook my head, realising that Graham was still talking to me. "If you do decide to stay, I could use a deputy."

"What?" I spluttered in shock. How much of what he said did I miss? Where did that come from?

"She accepts!" Henry shouted, excitedly from beside me.

"Henry!" I scolded before I looked back to the sheriff, but all I could get out was, "I already have a job."

"As a bail bondsperson, I remember. But there's not much of that going on around here. Just, think about it, ok?" he asked, offering me a business card. I took it, still a bit shell shocked at the offer, and watched as Graham goes back to his car.

"See." I looked down and Henry had his arms crossed over his chest, looking up at me with an expression that was half way between smug and hopeful. "It's like we're supposed to stay here."

All I could do was force a laugh, because that was exactly what I'd been thinking before Graham showed up.

Later that night, after we'd had dinner in the diner, I told the boys I'd catch up with them in a bit and watched as they disappeared upstairs. I took a breath, to mentally prepare myself for his cocky attitude and flirty comments before I walked up to the waitress.

"Hi. Ruby, right?" I stopped next to the table she was clearing.

"That's me," she smiled. The bright red lipstick made her teeth look really white, but it somehow suited her instead of looking ridiculous. "Your brother already settled your bill. Did you need something else?"

"I was just wondering if Killian was around," I tried to sound casual, but I knew that no matter how I asked that question I was probably going to give Ruby the wrong impression.

Sure enough her smile twisted into an amused smirk. "Oh he's quite the hottie isn't he? Lucky for you, you seem to have him quite smitten." I realised that her amusement was directed at the cook more than at me, but still, I didn't deny her assumptions. She seemed like the type to take refusal as confirmation and the last thing I needed was a match making waitress.

"You're in luck-he's on his break. He'll probably be out the back getting some air. You can go through the kitchen if you like; if Granny asks tell her I sent you. Have fun!" She smirked once more and went back to clearing tables.

I nodded my thanks and headed for the kitchen door. Sure enough, I found the chef leaning against a wall in the alley behind the diner.

"Hey, you know some people would find you hanging around back here suspicious," I commented with a smile. "I'm not going to have to get my pepper spray out am I?"

"Swan," he looked up. His toothy grin seemed to light up the dim alley. He'd taken his bandana off so hair was falling across his forehead and somehow it made him even more attractive. "What a lovely surprise. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

He pushed away from the wall and stopped a few feet in front of me. "You've not come to accost me in a secluded alley have you? While I myself wouldn't mind, I'm sure Graham would be quite disappointed that his new best friend is interested in Storybrooke's scoundrel."

"Scoundrel, huh?" I tried to bite back my smile, surprised at how easily he brought it out. I'd flirted with plenty of guys—many of them perps that never considered that the cute blond might be there to send their asses to jail—but with them my smiles were always forced. Their jokes weren't funny and their innuendos came across as sleazy… they were all the same. Yet this guy who I'd only spoken to once seemed to know just what to say to make me smile. I wanted to be suspicious, but no warning bells were ringing in my head. Killian Jones appeared to be entirely genuine, I realised, pleasantly surprised. Right down to being honest about his reputation. "I didn't realise we'd slipped back in time. Or is eighteenth century vocabulary just a British thing?" I teased.

"You prefer dashing rapscallion?" he asked, one eyebrow raised and a hint of a smirk tugging at his lips.

I couldn't help it; I laughed and he grinned in response, looking so damn proud of himself. "Who even says that?"

He shrugged and stepped a little closer, invading my personal space to tuck a stray lock of hair behind my ear.

"How can I help you, Swan?" he asked softly. I could feel the warmth of his breath on my face again, a sharp contrast to the cold wind, but I found it didn't make me as uncomfortable as it should have.

"I wanted to thank you," my voice matched his, barely above a whisper. "For cheering Henry up this morning. You didn't have to do that, and whatever you said… well it did the trick. He's been back to his usual self. So thanks."

"You don't have to thank me, love. I couldn't see the lad upset and just leave him," Killian assured me, seeming surprised that I'd even felt the need to thank him.

"Well thank you anyway. Especially for the signing. Henry doesn't have many people in his life who sign, and because he can hear fine with his hearing aid people don't bother. So I know that meant a lot to him."

"I find sign language quite interesting actually. I'll be sure to pick up as much as I can—if you stick around of course," he smirked.

I groaned. "He told you about that, huh?"

"Aye. We're not so bad around here you know? You really should consider staying here, Storybrooke is a good place." There was something in his eyes when he said it, as if _he_ wanted me to stay. But that was crazy; he didn't even know me.

I changed the subject. "Have you worked here long?"

Killian clearly saw the sudden change for the deflection it was, but went with it anyway. "Aye, I've been here for years."

"So you probably know Danny, right?" Seeing how good he was with Henry, I figured he'd probably tried to cheer Danny up as well at some point.

"The mayor's boy," he nodded. "What of it?"

"What's he like?" I asked, all day I'd been wondering what to do about the 'favour' Danny had asked, I figured it couldn't hurt to get some insight from somebody who knew him.

Killian frowned at the question. "Lonely," he answered eventually. "The lad's not got anyone but his mother and his best friend seems to be his therapist."

"He has a shrink?" I asked in surprise.

"Like I said, Regina is all he has. That's not a fate I envy, lass. Why do you ask, anyway?" he tilted his head, studying me.

"He asked me to find his birth parents," I admitted.

"Ah." I nodded in agreement. "Well that's your decision to make love, but if you want my opinion; I'm not sure the boy could handle the heartbreak if he finds another parent and doesn't feel wanted by them either."

"That's what worries me," I sighed. "These searches don't usually end well, but I know that he's going to look whether I help him or not." I stared at the wall over Killian's shoulder as if the answer was going to appear there.

"What about your search?" The question was barely a whisper, but it jolted me out of my thoughts as if he'd yelled right in my ear.

"What?"

A soft, understanding smile appeared on the cook's face, "An orphan's an orphan, Swan. We all share the same look in our eyes." My mouth fell open a little, whether at his perception or his subtle admission I wasn't sure.

Before I had to answer someone inside yelled an annoyed, "Jones!"

"That's my cue, love." He moved to walk past me, but stopped right by my ear. "Trust your gut, Swan," and kept walking.

"About Danny or about this town?" I called as he reached the door.

"Both," he answered over his shoulder, and for some reason, I listened. And I knew exactly what I was going to do.

"Hey, Killian," I jogged to catch up with him. "No more free pancakes. August spoils Henry enough, he doesn't need any help."

The cook just laughed. "Of course, lass." I raised an eyebrow, not entirely convinced.

"And when you sign his name, you don't have to spell it out." He raised an eyebrow. "Henry's name sign is _adventure_ with a H."

I repeated the sign, slowly so he could see. "You should ask him about giving you your own sign name tomorrow."

Killian grinned when he realised that what I meant was that I'd decided to stay.


	15. Chapter 14

**Hi people.**

**Just a heads up, there will not be a chapter next week. While I've nearly finished chapter 15 but JJ will need up to a week for Beta-ing, plus I'd like to have at least chapter 16 written before I post 15. Also, I have an essay due next week that's being a kind of a nightmare. I hope you understand.**

**Thank you for the reviews:**

**Treblemkr - I love writing captain swan and captain cobra, so you are most welcome :)**

**hogwartswonderland - Thanks x)**

**Enjoy!**

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><p><strong><em>Bold italics <em>**are signing without speaking out loud, signing and talking will be pointed out in the narrative when signing starts. Accept Henry, he's always signing, and Emma and August always sign when Henry is there, unless otherwise stated.

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><p><em><strong>E<strong>_

"August?" I asked at breakfast the next morning, signing to make sure Henry was paying attention too, though by some miracle he had remembered his hearing aid today. "I need a favour." I fought the smile that was threatening to reveal my decision. I knew Henry was going to make a scene once I told him.

"Sure, anything short of murder," August grinned, cheekily.

I rolled my eyes, mentally blaming him for both my kid's cheek and dramatic flair. "I need you to go back to Boston-"

"What!" Henry exclaimed, but I reached for his hand before the tears stared to fall again.

"Let me finish," I held his eyes for a moment until he nodded, reluctantly. I looked back to August, "I need you to go back to Boston to help Mrs. Benson pack up our apartment," Henry practically climbed across the table to hug me, trapping my hands between us, "and get Henry's transcripts." I laughed.

"Thank you," Henry mumbled in my ear and I couldn't help but smile. I wriggled my arms out so I could return the hug.

"I'm glad you came to your senses Em," August said, but I barely heard him because without realising, my eyes had drifted to the serving hatch, meeting bright blue ones. I signed thank you over Henry's shoulder (because everyone knew that sign) and he smiled with a nod. "Emma?"

I shook my head and pulled away from my son. "Sorry, what?"

"I said you should look for a place and maybe take Henry to see the school while I go back to Boston," he paused with a frown, seeing my distraction. "You ok?"

I nodded and assured him that I was fine before standing up. "I should go accept Graham's job offer. Maybe ask him if I can start tomorrow, though if I'm going to work I'll have to find someone to watch Henry while you're in Boston," I thought out loud.

"I don't need a baby sitter," Henry frowned, sticking his bottom lip out.

I scoffed, "Kid you're ten; I'm not leaving you alone all day."

_**So not fair,**_ was his response, mouth too occupied with pouting to talk.

"It's not gonna work, kid," I warned, rolling my eyes. "Why don't you go get yourself another hot cocoa, I'm sure Killian will want to learn the sign."

_**He's in the kitchen.**_

"Then teach Ruby and stop being awkward," I turned to August as I stood up. "I'll get a paper on the way to the station, and start looking for an apartment. "When are you going to go?"

"I'll watch Henry until lunch and when you get back I'll leave, sound good?"

I agreed and said my goodbyes, before leaving the diner, purposely not looking in the direction of the kitchen.

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.

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_**H**_

"Killian!" I shouted, as I jumped onto the stool at the counter, "We're staying!"

Killian grinned at me through the hatch, "I know."

"What?" I asked, confused. Mom had only just told us, and there was no way Killian could have heard from all the way over here.

"Your mum told me last night," he smiled at me and glanced over his shoulder to see if Granny was looking before he flipped the pancake he'd just finished onto a plate and stretched as far through the hatch as he could, it took me a second to realise he was giving me a free pancake, then I leaned over the counter to grab the plate. "Don't tell your mum," he winked.

We were a bit slow though.

"Jones!" Granny shouted, I jumped and almost dropped the plate but Killian just winked at me again and turned around.

"Yes Granny? That's a lovely skirt you're wearing today, by the way, is it new?" I covered my mouth, trying to stop myself from laughing, but then Granny turned to glare at me and I gulped. She might have been an old lady, but in the few days I'd been here I had realised that Granny Lucas was _scary_.

"Don't try that." She warned Killian, "You can't charm me with those pretty eyes of yours."

"You think my eyes are pretty?" Killian asked, as if he was surprised. Granny's glare got even scarier, but it was aimed at Killian, not me, so I had to cover my laugh again. "It's very nice of you to say so Granny, though I usually prefer devilishly handsome…"

"Oh stop it," Granny growled and shook her head, looking between the two of us. "Don't make a habit of it, Jones, or I'll be taking any freebees you give out of your pay check."

Killian turned back to me with a grin. "Ruby, darling, get the lad a fork and some syrup would you?" When Ruby came over she was grumbling to Granny about Killian being her favourite, but I could tell she wasn't really mad. "So, Henry," Killian started, going back to cooking, "what are your plan's now your mum's decided to stay in town?"

I opened my mouth to answer but heard someone shout behind me.

"Excuse me?" I turned to see the lady who brought the apples yesterday. "You're staying?"

"Um, yeah," I said. I didn't know who she was, just that she didn't like my mom and that she didn't seem to want us here.

The woman walked towards me leaning forward a little so she was really close to me. I tried to move away from her but I was already right up against the counter. She smiled but it didn't look friendly—it actually reminded me of how a dog looked before it bit you. "I'm sure you'd rather go back to Boston, dear," she said. "I expect there's a lot more to do there and small town life can be so unpleasant."

I opened my mouth, trying to think of something to say but all I could do was lean further back until the counter was digging into my back. Only before I could think of what to say I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked down and saw that it was Killian's prosthetic and he was climbing over the counter. He stood a little in front of me, which forced the woman to step back a bit, but kept the hand on my shoulder.

"Regina," his voice sounded mostly normal, but it seemed a little harder, kind of like Mom did when she was on the phone with her boss and he said something she didn't like. He tensed up too as if he was ready to start a fight with the lady if he needed too. "I do believe you may be scaring the boy. I'm sure it's unintentional but all the same, why don't you go see Ruby to order yourself something nice. She's just over there," he gestured to the other end of the counter.

"I don't think this is any concern of yours, Mr. Jones," the lady, Regina, was glaring now. It was way worse than Granny's glare. "You'd do well not to get involved in private conversations."

Killian stepped forward, so there was barely any space between him and the woman; all I could do was stare at her face, to see her reactions, and it looked like she was trying to melt Killian with her eyes.

"The asking was me being a gentleman," Killian told her, not even pretending to be friendly anymore. "I don't much care for people who threaten children, so Mayor or no, I suggest you leave the boy alone."

"Tread carefully Killian—we wouldn't want the Sherriff to be less lenient, next time you're in a spot of trouble."

"I'm actually quite sure footed, Madam Mayor. Thank you for your concern."

"Wait," I said, not realising I was talking out loud until both adults turned to me, "you're Danny's mom?" The Mayor's eyes narrowed at me and Killian moved as if he was trying to shield me from her.

"You stay away from my son," she told me like she was trying to spit the words out at me.

She and Killian stared at each other for a minute before Mayor turned around and stormed out of the diner.

Killian turned around and leaned down to look at me, he put his good hand on my other shoulder and sort of scanned my face, "You ok lad?" I nodded, looking at the door.

"I think I see why Danny keeps running away," I murmured.

Killian laughed but it didn't sound like he thought it was very funny. "I don't blame him Henry." I looked back to the cook, as he straightened, and saw him looking around the diner. "Who are you here with Henry? Where's your mum?"

"She went to see the Sherriff, he offered her a job. I'm with Uncle August but he went to the bathroom," I told him.

He nodded and sat on the stool next to mine. "So your mum said that I should ask about a name sign. She didn't really explain what that meant but said you're adventure with an H" Killian signed my name and I couldn't help but smile. I liked that he was trying to learn to sign. I knew he was distracting me from what had happened with Danny's mom, but I was pretty sure he did want to learn about ASL too.

"You're name sign is the sign for a word that describes you and then your initial. It's quicker than finger spelling and means that your name sign suits you better." I told him, signing a little slower than I usually did because I knew Killian was watching to try and pick it up. "Me, Mom and August learned to sign when we lived in New York. Apparently when I learned to walk I liked to wander off, and at one of the classes they were looking all over the community centre for me. When they found me I had climbed into the toy cupboard. One of the ladies there said I was adventurous. That's where my sign comes from."

Killian burst out laughing, shaking his head at me. "I bet you run riot, don't you?"

I was about to answer but then Uncle August appeared and beat me too it. "We like to say we have adventures," he told Killian, "but Emma says we try to get ourselves killed.

Killian chuckled. "So what's your mum's name sign?" he asked me, and then looked at Uncle August, "and yours?"

"Mom's is really un original. Swan, with an E," Killian copied the sign.

"And I'm gypsy, with an A." August showed his sign too.

"Gypsy?" Killian asked.

"Yeah, it's actually a British sign but it fit I guess. I travel a lot, which is why my signing isn't quite as good as Emma's. They went to the classes regularly until we moved to Boston. About a year after Henry's recovery, I went traveling again so I'd miss the classes for a few months at a time. Some of the folks in the class decided on gypsy," he explained.

"Recovery?" Killian asked with a frown.

"I got meningitis when I was a baby," I explained. "The treatment meant I lost most of my hearing in this ear."

"Ah, that can't have been easy."

I just shrugged. "I don't remember it. How old was I again Uncle August?"

"Twelve months," he answered but looked reluctant. "You know your mom doesn't like you talking about your life to strangers, little man."

"Killian isn't a stranger anymore," I pointed out. "And the more we tell each other about ourselves, the less like a stranger he will be,"

Uncle August just chuckled. "You have an answer for everything."

"What about me then, lad?" Killian asked, changing the subject. Probably to keep Uncle August happy. "What sign suits me?"

I looked at him, thinking about what I knew about the cook so far. I knew he made really great pancakes, he liked my mom and from what I'd seen this morning he was protective. At least of kids.

"Hero," I decided, signing slowly. "Hero with a K."

"I'm flattered Henry," Killian smiled at me but looked kind of uncomfortable. "But really, I'm no hero."

"Sure you are, you saved me from the Evil Mayor this morning, and yesterday you convinced Mom that we should stay here," I pointed out.

"Wait," Uncle August stopped me and looked at Killian. "_You_ changed Emma's mind?" He had the big brother look again and I couldn't help but laugh a little.

They both looked at me. "Big brother mode: activated," I grinned. Uncle August shoved my shoulder lightly and Killian laughed.

"I really didn't do anything mate. Swan and I had a chat last night—all I told her was to trust her gut. The decision was entirely her own," he assured my uncle.

"Either way," I shrugged, "She talked to you last night and suddenly she decided to stay. So you saved me from going back to Boston."

"Don't be so dramatic, Henry," Uncle August told me but I just carried on.

"And this morning you saved me from Danny's mom. So hero it is," I nodded to show my decision was final.

"Wait, what?" Uncle August asked but we kind of ignored him. Killian seemed really embarrassed about his sign. Who didn't want to be a hero anyway?

"How about we give it a week?" Killian suggested but I shook my head. "By then you'll know me a bit better and we can come up with something more suitable. Sound like an idea?"

I shook my head again. "You don't get to pick your own name sign. It has to be given to you by someone who is deaf. So unless you know anyone else in this town who is, it's up to me." I wiped my knife on a napkin and tapped it on Killian's shoulders, "I dub thee, Hero with a K."

Both of them laughed.

"Jones!" Granny shouted, from the kitchen. "If you want to be a nanny talk to Ms. Swan about the going rate, but while I'm paying you you'll get your lazy backside in this kitchen."

"Be right there," Killian called back while we laughed. "I don't think we should upset her anymore today lad. We can chat through the hatch if you're sticking around."

I looked at my Uncle and he nodded.

"So Killian, when did you move to Storybrooke?" I asked.

"I'm… not certain," his forehead creased as if he was trying really hard to remember. "I've been in Storybrooke as long as I can remember."

I frowned, "But, you're from England, right?"

"Yes," he answered, but he didn't seem sure. How could he not be sure about where he came from? He couldn't have moved to Maine when he was really young because his accent was too strong. So why didn't he remember? I looked at Uncle August to see if he was as confused as I was but he was just staring at Killian like he was waiting to see what he would do next.

"Well, what about the Sherriff? Which of you moved here first?"

"I-," Killian still seemed to struggle for an answer, "I don't really remember. I think Graham's always been in Storybrooke. He's been the Sherriff as long as I've been around."

Killian looked like he had a really bad head ache, so when Ruby handed him an order Uncle August nudged me. "Come on Henry, why don't we go and do some more exploring?"

I knew that we'd seen pretty much everything in town, but my questions were getting to Killian and Granny was already mad at him, so I nodded and said goodbye.

We ended up back at the castle, Uncle August was asking me what things I wanted him to bring straight back to Storybrooke, rather than waiting for the moving company to get them here, but I'd already brought my scrapbook with me and there were loads of comics at the store here in town. Everything else I wanted was too big to fit on his motorcycle. But really, I wasn't giving it much thought anyway. I couldn't stop thinking about how confused Killian had been when I asked him when he'd moved to Storybrooke.

"What's up little man?" my Uncle nudged me. "It's not like you to be quiet for so long."

I bit my lip, wondering if I should say anything, but Uncle August had met a lot more people than me, I figured he would have noticed if Killian was acting as strange as I thought. "Did it seem weird to you? When Killian couldn't remember coming to town?"

He looked at me for a moment with this tiny smile, as if he was glad I had asked but didn't want me to know that. "It was strange," he agreed. "Most people who move to a new place and don't really remember it move when they're really young, younger than you, but people who move and don't lose their original accent are normally at least in their teens when they move."

"So it doesn't make sense," I decided. "He can't not remember and still keep his accent. You went to England once, right?"

"I did," Uncle August smiled, "I brought you back a crown and you wore it all day. You refused to do anything me or your mom told you to do because you were the king and kings didn't take orders."

I laughed, "That was a good day."

"Speak for yourself little man."

"Anyway, has Killian's accent even faded? I mean compared to the British people you met?"

He thought for a moment, "His accent is pretty strong I guess." Before I could think of any other reasons I heard Mom call us and turned around to see her and the Sherriff walking towards us.

"Hey boys. So this is the famous castle, huh?" she looked over the castle and then at Uncle August. "It looks kind of run down…"

"I checked it out, Ems," he told her. Mom just nodded, she knew Uncle August was good with building things and that kind of stuff so she accepted it when he said it was safe.

"Anyway," she signed, "Graham said he'd take us over to the school and introduce us to Miss Blanchard. She'll be your teacher, providing they let trouble making city kids in," she teased and I rolled my eyes. "What do you reckon? You think we'll be able to convince her that you won't drive her crazy?"

"Mom, I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about," I insisted. All the adults laughed.

"Try not to have too many adventures while I'm gone, buddy," Uncle August said and ruffled my hair before he gave Mom a hug and nodded at the Sherriff. "I guess I'll be off then. See you in few days." We all said goodbye and watched him head back towards the square, where his bike was.

"So, which way Sherriff?" I asked.

"I'll drive you over, it's on the route for patrol anyway. And you can just call me Graham," he told me. We all started walking towards the squad car.

"Ok, so Graham, how long have you been sheriff?"

"Oh, I'm not sure. As long as I can remember, I guess."

Him too?!


	16. Chapter 15

_**Hi all,**_

_**MERRY CHRISTMAS!**_

_**I wasn't going to post this yet because I still haven't written the next chapter and I feel this is kind of filler-ish, but it's Christmas, so I figured something is better than nothing.**_

**_Thanks to Daydreamr4ever, DeborahJ, K-Marie-M, evilpinkpen and the guest reviewer. _**

_**Guest Review:**_ **they should have made a bigger deal about the mayor threatening a kid. she could be arrested for shit like that.**

_**Reply: I agree that Regina thretening Henry is a big deal and she could be arrested for it, but the townspeople are still cursed and fearful of Regina, most are too scared to stand up to her the way Killian did, plus, she kind of has control over the Sherif. So as much as I'd love to have someone call Regina out on her shit, I'm trying to keep everyone in character.**_

_**I hope you like the chapter, I'll try not to take so long next time :)**_

_**Happy Christmas, again!**_

**Enjoy!**

**_Bold italics _**are signing without speaking out loud, signing and talking will be pointed out in the narrative when signing starts. Accept Henry, he's always signing, and Emma and August always sign when Henry is there, unless otherwise stated.

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><p><em><strong>A<strong>_

I was coming out of the B&B when I ran into the cook (quite literally).

"Sorry, man," I apologised, "I wasn't paying attention."

"No worries mate," the Brit smiled, eying the rucksack on my shoulder. "You off traveling again already?"

"No, the plan is to knock the travelling on the head actually, at least for a while. I'm not sure how I'm going to take to being in one place after so long, y'know?"

"Aye," Killian responded, sounding kind of wistful.

I studied him for a moment, there was a strange expression in his eyes. Like he was a wanderer too.

"You ever done much travelling?" I asked, after a quick internal debate.

"Y-" he started to answer but frowned. "No, not really." He eventually said, looking unsure of himself.

He must have travelled a lot back in the Enchanted Forest, I realised; his first instinct had been to say yes, because he felt like he'd seen far off lands, but he had no memory of it. I couldn't help but think the Evil Queen's curse had been especially cruel to people like Killian and I. To be trapped in one place when you want to see everything the world has to offer… I'd imagined that to be the worst type of prison.

"So," he shook his head, as if to clear his confusion, "what's with the bag?"

"I'm going to pack Emma's apartment up and ship hers and Henry's things here."

"Ah, the move is official then?" he looked please, a little too please, to hear that.

"Yeah," I said slowly. "Look Jones, Henry loves to laugh about big brother mode, or whatever, but truthfully, I just don't want to see Emma hurt again," I told the cook with a pointed look.

Understanding crossed his features. "The lad's father did a number on her, didn't he?"

The guilt rose in my throat as it always did with the mention of Neal, so I just nodded. I didn't notice how close the cook was studying me until it was too late.

"You scare him off?" he asked and I swallowed thickly.

"No, I didn't reconnect with Emma until after Henry was born," I lied. "I just saw the aftermath."

Killian hummed quietly, clearly seeing that I wasn't being entirely honest. _I'm sure I used to have a better poker face,_ I thought, scratching the back of my neck, nervously.

"Well mate, you needn't worry," he assured, seeming to drop the issue, at least for now. "I'm a firm believer that a man should go after what he wants, and I will," the implication of what – who – he wanted was clear, "But I'm not in the habit of breaking hearts. I've no intension of hurting your sister."

I nodded. "I'm sure he didn't either, at the start." With that I walked away, heading towards my bike. I revved the engine in farewell before heading out of town.

Once I crossed the border into the real world, I pulled over and dialled a number I'd not even thought about calling, in years.

_Hey, this is Neal Cassidy. Leave a message._

I sighed, somewhat relived that I got the answer machine. "Hey, buddy, um. I wasn't sure this as still your number. I just thought I'd let you know that I'm in Storybrooke with Emma. So um, I'll let you know when the curse breaks, like I promised but I just thought I'd warn you that things might not turn out the way you thought when you left. It looks like Emma's started something with this guy and-"

I cut myself off, I couldn't say anything that might hint towards Henry, but I couldn't tell Neal not to come here either. I wasn't about to interfere with Emma's love life again.

"Just don't have any expectations, ok? Bye." I hung of the phone and headed back to Boston.

A part of me was hoping Neal would be a no show for entirely selfish reasons.

.

.

.

_**E**_

Graham nodded to the receptionist as we entered the school and led us through the corridors until we came to a stop outside a class door with '5th grade' written in multi coloured letters.

"Let's wait outside for a moment," Graham suggested, "the kids will be out for recess in a couple of minutes and Ms. Blanchard will be able to have a quick chat with you."

I nodded, looking around the corridor at the displays, half listening to Henry's interrogation (for some reason he was especially interested in when the sheriff had moved to town), there was an impressive papierMache skeleton in a case and then a display about ghost stories, _Henry's going to get on just fine if that's what they're studying here, _I thought.

A bell rung and pretty much every door in the corridor burst open, as if the kids had all been piling against them, waiting to be released. Once the doorway cleared a little Graham knocked the open door and led us inside.

"Sheriff?" a small woman with black hair, the teacher I presumed, asked in surprise. "What can I do for you?" She looked at Henry and I curiously, with a small smile before turning back to Graham.

"Don't worry Mary Margret, I'm just introducing you to some people. This is Emma Swan and her son Henry. I thought I'd bring them by as Henry hoping to be joining your class soon," Graham explained.

"Oh," the teacher smiled, "Well in that case, come on in. Do you have any questions? Either of you?" she looked between me and Henry, who was looking around the room at the bird houses on every desk.

"We were just looking to say hi really," I said, "technically we're still on vacation. My brother is sorting out Henry's transcripts so he probably won't be enrolling until next week."

"Of course, well if you like, Henry, you can sit in class for this afternoon? I have an extra bird house you can paint and it'll be good to get to know some of the other children," Mary Margret offered before looking back at me with a mildly panicked expression. "If it's ok with your mom of course."

"It's fine by me," I assured her. "I could actually use him not being around while I'm apartment hunting."

The teacher laughed and I heard Graham chuckle from behind us.

_**Hey**_, Henry frowned. _**I don't get-**_

"Henry," I scolded, "Don't be rude."

He looked at the teacher sheepishly, "Sorry."

"Oh, it's all right. I-um," the poor woman looked a little out of her element so I jumped in before she asked the same questions every teacher asked.

"Henry is only partially deaf but he has a hearing aid as well; so long as he wears it he can hear you just fine but ASL is pretty much his first language," I explained. "He knows better than to sign in front of hearing people without talking out loud though," I shot him another pointed look.

"I said I was sorry," he mumbled.

"It's fine, really. I'm sure it was just an accident," Mary Margret smiled kindly.

"Anyways, when he starts I'll give you his back up hearing aid and a spare battery. Just to be on the safe side."

"Of course," she nodded. "So, what were you saying Henry?"

"Oh, I was just going to ask Mom why I don't get to help pick our new apartment," he turned the puppy dog eyes on me.

"Don't even try it kid," I shook my head in amusement, all but immune to that trick by now. "You and your Uncle picked the town, so as I'm the one paying the rent anyway, I think I get to choose this time."

"Fine," he grumbled, "but I want to live by the beach."

I scoffed. "I'll leave you with Graham to negotiate my pay check then." With another shake of the head I turned back to Mary Margret. "Fair warning, he's probably the cheekiest kid you'll ever teach."

She laughed. "I'm sure that's not true, but I'll bear that in mind." A bell sounded again. "Well, back to work for me. Are you staying with us Henry?"

Henry looked at me.

"Up to you kid."

"Sure, I'll stay. Can I sit with Danny?" he asked. "You are his teacher right?"

"Of course you can."

We said our goodbyes and I followed Graham out of the building before we went our separate ways.

I headed back to Granny's, after seeing that there were no rental ads in the paper at all, to see if anyone there could point me in the right direction.

"Killian!" I heard Granny shouting from the kitchen, and looked over to see the two Lucases on either side of the serving hatch. "Your break was over ten minutes ago!"

"He's probably making out with the new deputy out the back," Ruby told her grandmother, smirk audible, even if her back was facing me

I cleared my throat, choosing to focus on being amused by the waitress's lack of awareness rather than being embarrassed or offended that she thought I'd be making out in an ally with a guy I'd only spoken to twice.

"Or maybe not," Ruby shrugged, when she turned around. Not in the least bit embarrassed. "What can I get you deputy?"

"Not a deputy until tomorrow Ruby," I pointed out. "Hot cocoa, to go please."

"Sure thing, you want cinnamon right?"

"Yep. So can I ask you something?" I asked, tapping my fingers against the counter as she turned to make my drink.

"Killian is single," she smirked over her shoulder.

"Not that," I told her flatly, biting back a groan. I mean seriously, so the guy was hot and a flirt and his eyes were ridiculously blue, but surely Ruby couldn't expect anything to be going on just from that. I barely knew the guy! "It's about the guy who was at the inn, the night I came to town."

Ruby turned, drink in hand, and frowned. "Mr. Gold? What about him?"

"You said he owns the town. Does he rent out apartments, or just businesses?" I asked.

"Sure, like I said, he owns this place. Pretty much everyone in town rents from him." The usually bouncy waitress was sombre, as if even talking about this Mr. Gold unnerved her. It was eerie.

"Do you know where I can find him? Or can you give me a number?"

"He owns the pawn shop on Main Street." Ruby told me, putting a lid on my cup. "It's right on the corner. He's your best bet on finding a more permanent place. Especially considering the Mayor's reaction to hearing about you staying in town."

I frowned, Regina had made it clear she didn't want me or my family here, but I hadn't heard anything from her since I'd decided to stay.

"What do you mean?"

"You should ask Killian. He was there, and whatever happened it really pissed him off. I just looked up when the door slammed," Ruby shrugged.

I frowned, when I left this morning Henry had been with Killian. What happened?

"Ok, thanks for telling me I guess." I took my drink and left the diner. Only when I went to get in my car I saw that the back wheel was clamped.

"Seriously?" I sighed to myself. If that was Regina's way of telling me to get out of 'her' town, she hadn't really thought it through.


	17. Chapter 16

**Hi All,**

**Sorry it's been a while, my uni schedule is always crazy Jan-March but I kinda under estimated it this year :/**

**At the moment I really want to be writing this story but I have an assignment due in a few days and I'm procrastinating because I'm not good at this particular type of assignment... So yeah, I'm restraining myself.**

**Belated happy end of hiatus!**

**Hope you like the chapter. Thanks to JJ as usual for being so patient with me and just generally awesome xD**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Bold italics <em>**are signing without speaking out loud, signing and talking will be pointed out in the narrative when signing starts. Accept Henry, he's always signing, and Emma and August always sign when Henry is there, unless otherwise stated.

* * *

><p><em><strong>E<strong>_

As it turned out, the pawn shop wasn't far, though to be honest it wasn't a surprise—everything was in walking distance in a town this small. Storybrooke was exactly the kind of everyone-knows-everyone hamlet that I'd always avoided; the big cities were easier to get lost in. And yet I'd somehow found myself eager to put down roots in this place; it was strange.

The shop looked like an overly cluttered museum. There were no TVs or overpriced watches or really anything I'd expected to see. Instead the place was full of swords and trinkets that belonged in another century, but they didn't really look that old or rusty. I inwardly shrugged—I was no expert, they could all be replicas and I wouldn't know the difference. I turned towards the sound of a bead curtain being parted.

"Hello there," the man smiled, a gold tooth glinting in the dim light, "Miss Swan, wasn't it?"

"Hi. Mr, Gold?" I asked and stepped closer to the counter.

"That's me. What can it do for you?

"I was told you were the person to see about renting some place around here. Can't raise a kid in a B&B, y'know?"

The old man chuckled, "Certainly not. Well, the good news is I have a few properties available; unfortunately though, I've no one to watch the shop while I show you around."

"Oh, well, do you want to arrange something for tomorrow or…" I trailed off, leaving him to suggest something.

"I'm afraid I'm in here again tomorrow." He seemed to ponder for a moment before turning to open a cupboard, "How about, I give you these," he pulled out a small stack of papers, "to have a look through. If something catches your eye, come back and I'll give you the key to show yourself around."

I raised an eye brow as I took the brochures from him, "People in small towns are really that trusting? How do you know I'm not going to trash your place or something?"

"Well, if I have any doubts about trusting you, Miss Swan, I'll just have to trust in Sheriff Humbert's choice in deputy."

"Good news travels fast, I see. Thanks for these. I guess I'll see you soon," I nodded and turned to leave.

"I guess you will," he replied, and I couldn't quite put my finger on why it sounded so creepy.

On my way back to the dinner I called Graham to see if he could help me get rid of the clamp on my car, which was parked perfectly legally, I grumbled to myself. To his credit, Graham sorted it within the hour and apologized repeatedly on behalf of the mayor, promising to talk to her. With that crisis averted, I settled back into the booth Henry, August, and I seemed to have claimed and started looking through the housing pamphlets from Mr Gold.

It didn't take long to form a "no" pile with anything with less than three bedrooms or ridiculously high in price, which left me to flick through my options. Unfortunately, I lost track of time so when Henry came bounding in, Danny on his tail, I didn't have time to hide the picture of a nice little seafront cottage that was just about in budget.

"Mom are we going to live there? Let me see!" he snatched the picture off the pile with excitement.

"Well hello to you too kid," I raised an amused eyebrow before turning to his friend, "Hi Danny. How was school? Did Henry behave himself?"

"Hey! I always behave! And you never answered me: are we going to live in this house? By the beach?" he asked once more, bouncing in his seat.

I sighed—as much as I prided myself on not giving in to Henry's every whim, I couldn't help but be affected by how excited he was just seeing a picture of the house. I glanced back at the picture, it _was_ within budget, and had four bedrooms – more than enough space for the three of us – with a small yard… What could it hurt to spend a few extra bucks each month if being by the water made Henry so happy? Especially now that I could count on a steady income; and he'd always loved being by the ocean.

"I don't know kid," I answered eventually, taking the paper back. "It's in the 'maybe' pile, but until I can go see it I'm not making any promises. For all we know someone could have trashed it since that picture was taken."

"We had a bad storm last year," Danny announced, shaking his floppy black hair out of his eyes. "I don't know whereabouts that is, but if it's close to the water it might have been hit," he shrugged.

I bit my lip, looking back at the paper. "Really Henry, don't get your hopes up. I'm not going to pay for a sea view if the house ends up flooded."

A pout had just began to form when I felt a warm breath near my ear.

"Nah, you'll be ok with that place," said an accented voice, causing my breath to catch in the back of my throat and goosebumps to raise on my arms.

I turned just as Killian flopped into the booth next to me, stretching his arm, oh so smoothly, behind my back. He turned to face me with that damn dimpled grin and those ridiculous blue eyes. What was with him? More importantly: what was wrong with me? Why was I suddenly letting hot guys with sexy accents affect me so much? _You mean __**this**__ guy, _A voice in the back of my head corrected, _You function perfectly normally with Graham. _

Just as I shook myself out of my hormone-driven thoughts and was about to reply, the damn asshole pulled the bandana off his head and I had to fight the urge to reach out and run my fingers through his hair, which was now sticking up all over the place.

"See something you like love?" he murmured, low enough that the boys couldn't hear, as his grin morphed into that annoying smirk of his.

"And how exactly would you know anything about the cottage?" I asked, completely ignoring his last comment.

Killian shot me a knowing look before taking the papers out of my hands. "This place backs on to the beach, but it's further away than it looks. Most the houses along there have a rear gate that leads to the beach path, but it's actually about 250 yards until you hit the sand," he explained, and how the hell could something as boring as real estate sound so amazing coming from his mouth? _It's been too long, Swan, _I told myself, refocusing on what the Brit was saying rather than his voice (and the way I reacted to it).

"The bad storms tend to only come up about 100 yards. So, _if_ we have the worst storm on record, you may have to fix the garden up—doubtful though. It's been empty as long as I can remember, so it might need some work inside and out, but it's a good place. It's a quiet street, nice neighbours, good view… Not that it couldn't use _your_ brand of improvement, Swan," he winked.

I rolled my eyes, fighting a smile.

"They'll roll out of your head one day," Killian teased.

"Maybe I should stop talking to you then," I countered with a smirk of my own.

"Nonsense, Swan; you'd miss me too much."

I scoffed and turned back to the boys who were watching our exchange with interest (Danny) and amusement (Henry). "Henry, when you're deciding on a name sign for Killian you should think about 'ego.'"

"Actually I already decided on 'hero,'" he said, reaching across the table to help himself to the last of my cocoa. "So can we go see the house?"

I blinked, looking back and forth between my son and the cook, who was nervously scratching behind his ear and… was he _blushing_?

"Yeah," I answered slowly, still watching Killian. "Why don't you go put your bag away and then we'll go see about a walk-through.

.

.

.

_**K**_

I watched the lads climb out of the booth and head for the back stairs, avoiding Swan's eyes though I could feel her gaze on me.

"So," she started, "'Hero,' huh?"

I chuckled nervously, hoping my face didn't appear as warm as it felt. "I, uh… I tried to tell him it was an ill fit, but that boy of yours can be quite adamant."

I finally met those sea-green eyes and allowed a small smile to show. "I suspect he gets that from his mother."

Emma looked down, and I knew I was right.

"Ruby mentioned something about Regina. Was that what prompted the name?"

"I believe it affected his decision, yes, but it wasn't really anything to worry yourself over. Kids exaggerate and, so does Ruby," I assured her.

"But there was an argument about Henry?" Her voice hardened and a protective glint sparked in her eyes. There was no denying that Emma was a beautiful woman, but something about the strong, protective streak she possessed was breathtakingly attractive. It only drew me to her all the more. "What happened?"

"Don't get worked up about it love. Our darling Mayor overheard Henry telling me about your decision to stay in town. She wasn't best pleased, as I'm sure you expected," she nodded and gestured for me to continue. "As you weren't here, Henry became the target of her wrath. She spoke in a manner in which no one should speak to a child, and I told her as much. She threw a little tantrum, left, and that was that. Henry said that I had _saved_ him from her and insisted on the… 'hero' thing."

Emma fixed her gaze on the table, where her clenched fists rested. I could feel the fury coming off her in waves.

"Hey," I placed my hand on top of hers without really thinking, wanting only to reassure her. "Henry is fine, lass. He's tough enough to handle a few harsh words, even if he shouldn't have to."

I rubbed circles with my thumb on the back of her hand until the tension in her curled fist drained away, and then gave her a comforting squeeze. I briefly wondered when I'd become so tactile, and with a woman I barely knew, before her eyes met mine once more, shining with gratitude.

"Thank you Killian." I smiled, and dipped my head, not really used to being thanked for anything and certainly not as often as Swan had over the past few days. "You've made quite an impression on my kid. Don't disappoint him," she warned me, but there as something in her eyes… Like she knew what it was like to be disappointed at a young age and was desperate for Henry not to suffer like she had.

"I wouldn't dream of it, love. He's a good lad."

"Yeah, he is."

"Hey Mom?" Henry called from across the diner and captured both of our attentions, he skidded to a halt next to the booth and asked his mother to take Danny along on their house viewing a final reassuring squeeze to Emma's hand, I bid the trio goodbye and went to change out of my chef's whites before starting the walk home. It wasn't too far, but far enough that I noticed how life had suddenly started to flourish in Storybrooke over the last few days; just little things like how Dr. Hopper had changed his dog walking route, and today Marco had joined him; that morning Ms. Blanchard had stopped in the diner to have a chat with Ruby instead of rushing off… It was like everyone had thrown the dull routine out the window. It wasn't much of a difference but the effect was certainly noticeable. For some reason I couldn't shake the feeling it was at least partly down to the small Swan family's arrival. Then again, that could have been just because they'd dropped themselves right in the middle of _my_ routine, not that I was complaining. It felt like I'd suddenly woken up and was living rather than just existing. It was a really good feeling.

When I finally turned onto my street, I couldn't help but smile at the sight of the yellow bug parked outside of the faded-blue timber house, on the corner. I could just make out Henry's small form bouncing around, through the window, reminiscent of an over-excited puppy. With a chuckle, I pulled my keys out and jogged up the steps of the house next door.

I collapsed in to bed almost straight away, exhausted from another double-shift, but sleep wouldn't come. I lay there for well over an hour, haunted by sparkling green eyes and somewhat excited at the prospect of seeing them on a daily basis.

That's when the walls began to shake.

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><p><strong>So, just to get your opinions on something, I'm conscious that this story is moving really slowly, though that should change in the next few chapters, but JJ likes the character building and seeing more of Storybrooke than we did in the show. What do you guys think? Should I pick up the pace a bit more?<strong>

**Drop me a review and let me know!**

**-Ellen-Thalia x**


	18. Chapter 17

**Hi all,**

**Thank you so much for all the reviews. Not much else to say really... Other than that I've added in initials to identify the POV of each section. Sorry if I was confusing people.**

**Hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

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><p><em><strong>Bold italics<strong>_****are signing without speaking out loud, signing and talking will be pointed out in the narrative when signing starts. Accept Henry, he's always signing, and Emma and August always sign when Henry is there, unless otherwise stated.

* * *

><p><em><strong>E<strong>_

"Well Miss Swan, if you're happy with the terms all you have to do is sign here and the house is yours," Mr Gold smiled, pointing to the lease I'd spent the last five minutes reading through. It was a pretty good deal too; we could decorate however we wanted (Thank God, because that place was really stuck in the 80's!), there were no petty conditions or anything that could come back to bite us. I'd already sent August some pictures and the few repairs that the place needed he said he could do himself.

Henry loved the place. Especially that it was so close to his castle, and if I was honest with myself, it was exactly the kind of place I'd been dreaming of since I found out I was pregnant with Henry. It was everything I never thought I'd be able to give him; so with once last glance at his hopeful face, I took the pen and signed.

Not a second after the pen left the paper, the glass and cabinets began to rattle and the ground shook under my feet.

"Henry!" I shouted, instinctively reaching for my son.

"Mom!" he was reaching for my hand when the counter he'd grabbed for support shattered beneath his touch and he fell to the ground.

"Henry!" I panicked and dove for him, barely feeling the shards of glass slicing through my jeans and into my knees as I used my body to shield Henry from the falling debris.

When the shaking finally stopped I opened my eyes, not remembering when I'd closed them, and looked around to reassure myself that nothing else could hurt him before I slowly pulled back.

"Kid? Are you ok? Are you hurt?" I scanned his face and head first and then began taking inventory of the rest of his small body. It was only when he tried to sign and almost sobbed that I saw a nasty looking shard of glass protruding from his hand with blood leaking from the wound. "Shit," I hissed searching my pockets for anything that could help stop the bleeding. "Are you hurt anywhere else?"

"Can't hear you, mom," he mumbled, pain evident in his voice, and I suddenly felt like the worst mother in the world because my kid was in pain and I was too busy freaking out to bother speaking his language!

_**I'm sorry,**_ I signed, only now noticing that his hearing aid was nowhere to be seen. _**We need to get you to the hospital ok? **_

Henry nodded.

_**Ok, are you hurt anywhere else?**_

He tried to sign once more but only hissed in pain.

_**No don't sign baby! While the glass is still there using your hands could just make it worse, ok?"**_

Another nod as he bit his lip, probably to keep the tears I could see forming in his eyes from falling. Sometimes I forgot just how much he had taken after me in some ways.

"Miss Swan? Henry?" Mr. Gold's voice called from behind me, reminding me that we weren't alone.

"I'm fine," I called, interpreting for Henry. "Henry's hurt though, I need to get him to the hospital. Are you ok?"

"I'll be just fine Miss Swan. You look after your boy. Go."

I didn't argue, just stood up, hissing at the sharp pain in my thigh and knees, and gently pulled Henry up by his wrists.

"Ah! Ankle!" he gasped, once he was up right, leaning against me for support.

I glanced down but it was impossible to see anything in the darkness – the power must have cut during the quake.

"Ok, Henry," I signed as much as I could with one hand while taking his weight with my left arm. "I can't see what's wrong, can you walk on it?"

He shifted his weight to try but only fell against me and gasped once more as the tears finally started to fall.

"Ok! Ok, it's ok Henry, you're ok. Just look at me, right at me." When he did I wiped the tears away and did my best attempt at a reassuring smile. "You're going to be just fine, ok?" I smiled at his nod. "I'm going to carry you to the car, so I need to wrap your arms around my neck, hop on you good foot as I lift and then don't let go. Can you do that?"

I wrapped my arms around him, ensuring my mouth was against his good ear, and whispered encouragements that I barely heard because all I could think about was the blood pouring from his hand and remembered flashes of my baby lying in a hospital bed.

"Ok Henry, jump on three. One, two, three!" Henry clung to me tighter than I could ever remember as I carefully manoeuvred my way out of the shop, not even sparing a glance at the pawnbroker who had at some point lifted himself from the wreckage that was once his shop.

Once I had Henry belted into the front seat I briefly registered my phone ringing, but whoever it was could wait. Henry needed a doctor, and fast.

I don't know how many traffic laws I broke on that journey but all I could focus on was getting Henry the help he needed, murmuring platitudes at every little whimper and inwardly screaming at how it could be taking so long to get somewhere is this tiny town!

Once the hospital was in sight, I barely took the time to park before I was carrying Henry through the emergency room shouting for help.

"Emma!" a voice gasped and I looked up to see the teacher, Mary Margret, rushing towards me with a wheelchair. "What happened? Is he ok?"

"We were in the pawn shop when the earthquake hit," I explained as I set Henry in the wheel chair and frantically signed that everything would be ok. I did my best to interpret the conversation but now that I had got him there I was thinking the worse and starting to panic. "A cabinet shattered and Henry got glass in his hand and it's bleeding and there's something wrong with his ankle and h-"

"Emma! Emma you need to calm down ok?" She told me, grabbing hold of my shoulders, shaking me back into focus.

"We need to fix his hand," was all I could think to say. "He needs to be able to sign and if there's anything perm-"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves ok?" she reached behind her and grabbed a clipboard and pen from the desk, it was only then that I noticed the volunteer badge on her chest. "You stay with Henry and fill this out. I'm going to get Dr. Whale." With that she turned and jogged down a hall way.

I took a deep breath and crouched in front of Henry, forcing a smile in my face.

_**You ok, kid?**_

He nodded with a weak smile of his own, but the very fact that he wasn't talking spoke volumes. My chatty, excitable little boy looked so scarred as his eyes were inevitably drawn to sticky, red pool on his palm.

_**Hey,**_ I waved in front of his eyes to get his attention, _**Don't look at it ok. It'll hurt worse if you look. **_He raised his eyebrows as if to say 'seriously' and I couldn't help the relived smile spread across my face at that little bit of personality shining through. _**Just trust me. It'll be better if you think of something else.**_

I scribbled through the questions on the clipboard and was just finishing up when Mary Margret came back, doctor in tow.

"Emma, this way," she beckoned as the doctor opened the curtain on the closest cubical and gestured towards the bed.

I pushed Henry to meet them and handed the doctor the clipboard before I moved so Henry could see me.

"Hello Henry, I'm Dr. Whale," the fair haired man introduced himself with a smile, but paused when he noticed my signing.

"Oh," Mary Margret exclaimed, "I forgot to tell you, Henry's partially deaf."

"He lost his hearing aid in the quake," I added.

"Ok, well as you're interpreting Ms. Swan, that won't be a problem. Now Henry can you tell me what happened?"

Henry just bit his lip and looked at his hand. The doctor glanced at me, his exasperation not veiled well enough.

"He doesn't talk out loud when he's scared or upset and he can't sign with glass in his hand so how about you do something about that first?" I snapped, trying to control my temper.

"Emma," Mary Margret cut in, tentatively, "the doctor's just trying to help."

"It's quite alright Ms. Blanchard." Dr. Whale held up his hand, to stop her. "Could you get me some gauze and the sutures?" She nodded and disappeared behind the curtain. "Now Henry, we need to get you onto the bed, do you think you can stand if I help you?"

Henry nodded and took the doctor's hand in his uninjured one.

"Ok on three, you're going to stand up and then I'll lift you on the bed. One, two and three. Atta boy." Once Henry was seated on the edge of the bed the doctor crouched down to look at his ankle. "I know this is difficult Ms. Swan but I promise I'll take good care of Henry. I've just never had a deaf patient before."

"Partially deaf," I corrected automatically.

"Partially deaf. Sorry." He stood and smiled first at me, in a way that I was far more accustomed to seeing on the faces of sleaze bags that doctors, and then my son. "Right Henry, your ankle looks fine. Just a little twisted, we'll put an ice pack on it and it'll be good as new in no time." Henry smiled and nodded just as Mary Margret came back with a bowl full of gauze, tweezers and a small packet with the suture materials. "Right now, Henry. I'm going to pull the glass out now. It'll bleed a lot at first but we'll stop that as quickly as we can. After that I'm going to check there's no more glass in the cut before I stitch it up. You ok with that?"

Henry nodded once more and I was about to tell him to look at me while the doctor was working but before I got the words out I noticed my vision was hazy and I started feeling dizzy.

"Mom!"

.

.

.

_**H**_

I ignored the doctor and shouted as I saw my mom fall over. I tried to jump off the bed to get to her, but the doctor grabbed me around the waist and held me back while Miss Blanchard knelt next to my mom. It was only then that I saw the blood soaking her jeans.

"Mom" I yelled again. "Let me go! What's wrong with my mom?"

I could hear voices but I couldn't make out what they were saying. I just wanted mom to open her eyes and tell me what was going on, but instead she just lay there as some men wearing those blue hospital clothes showed up, lifted her on to a bed, and wheeled her away from me.

"Stop! Where are you taking my mom? Mom!"

"Henry!" I heard and Miss Blanchard was suddenly in front of me. She put her hands on my cheeks so I had to look at her. "Henry-me? Can y- stand what I'm saying?"

I finally swallowed back the tears and said, "Stand this side, by my good ear." She did and smiled, nodding as if to tell me I got something right. I didn't want her smiles and encouragement, I just wanted my mom.

"Where did they take my mom? What happened to her?"

"It looks like she got hurt in the earthquake as well but didn't tell us. Can you remember anything?"

I thought back, but it was so dark and all I really remembered was the noise and holding on to Mom.

"I-I don't know. She covered me, when things started falling, she leaned over me so I didn't see anything!" I cried. She got hurt because she was protecting me.

"That's ok Henry. You're ok and we're going to make sure your mom is too. She probably just lost some blood. The doctors will stop the bleeding and she'll be all better." She promised. "But right now, we need to let Dr. Whale fix your hand. I'm sure that's what your mom would want. So I'm going to stay here, and we'll keep talking while the doctor gets that glass out. OK?"

"Ok," I agreed. I wiped my tears away with the back of my good hand and then let Miss Blanchard hold it while Dr. Whale pulled the glass out. I hissed and squeezed her hand hard because it hurt, and I just wanted my mom there.

"You're being really brave Henry," Miss Blanchard told me. I couldn't make out what the doctor was saying but Miss Blanchard was ignoring him so I guessed it wasn't important. Whatever he was doing really hurt though.

"When can I seen my Mom?" I mumbled through the pain.

"Soon." She promised. "Is there anyone we can call for her and for you?"

I shook my head. "Uncle August went back to Boston for a few days. It's just the three of us." I told her.

She nodded and squeezed my hand to comfort me. "What about in town? Does she have any friends here?"

"N-" I was about to say no when I thought of the one person we had started to get to know. "Killian. I don't know his number, but he's the cook at the diner and he's sort of friends with my mom and me."

"Ok, that's good. Just as soon as we have your and fixed I'm going to see if we can get a hold of Killian and find out what's going on with your Mom."

I winced, and looked at the doctor. He was sewing up the cut on my hand, which looked really gross, but mom was right—it hurt even more now that I was looking. I didn't really want to talk anymore, but May Margaret was helping me and she didn't have to. So I said a quick thank you and went back to staring down the hall, trying to see where Mom had been taken.

"You're most welcome."


	19. Chapter 18

**Hi guys, sorry this took so long.**

**Thanks for all the Reviews/favs/follows. I really apprichiate how many of you are reading and enjoying this story C:**

**Just to let you know, there won't be another chapter for a few weeks, I've got to be really focused on these last few assignments for uni, so I'm banning myself from writing until May. **

**I hope you understand.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p><em><strong>Bold italics<strong>_****are signing without speaking out loud, signing and talking will be pointed out in the narrative when signing starts. Accept Henry, he's always signing, and Emma and August always sign when Henry is there, unless otherwise stated.

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><p><em><strong>A<strong>_

I sighed in equal parts exasperation and apprehension as I pulled up at the address Neal had given me. Why did he insist on meeting? What could he possibly have to say that was worth a four hour ride to New York? I honestly didn't see what else there was to say after all this time.

I climbed off my bike to stretch my legs and wandered up the street to grab a coffee. With a final sigh, I checked to see if there were any more messages from Emma before texting Neal to meet me, and as an afterthought, changed his contact name to Baelfire, just in case.

"Been a long time, buddy," I turned and was hit with a fresh wave of guilt. I hadn't seen Neal since just after Emma was sentenced and the difference was glaringly obvious.

The ratty t-shirt and stolen leather jacket had been replaced with an expensive wool trench coat and scarf over a blue dress shirt. How long had it taken him to get his act together? A year? Two? More? Over the years I'd seen Emma and Henry struggle, and I often wondered if I was hurting them by keeping Neal away. It was a lot easier to convince myself I'd done the right thing when I thought of Neal as the deadbeat thief who would have landed Emma in jail sooner or later even if I'd not interfered; not so much with this well put together guy who seemed to have made a life for himself.

"Neal, how's it going?" I greeted eventually, taking in the way he awkwardly shoved his hands in his pockets.

"How's Emma?" he asked, his question seemingly directed to the side-walk before looking up at me.

"She's good. Convincing her to stay in Storybrooke was easier than expected. She's already got herself a job, and she text me earlier that she's found us a place. So far so good I guess."

He just nodded and continued to stare at his feet for a few moments. "And, uh, you mentioned a guy. Did he have anything to do with her decision?"

"Neal…" I said, a warning in my voice; I really wanted to keep the details of my sister's life to myself.

"Hey, I'm just curious man. It's not weird for a guy to ask about his ex, right?" But it looked like he was trying to convince himself of that more than me.

"Look, buddy, it's been over ten years—you can't expect her to be hanging around waiting for you," I pointed out, evading the question.

"I know that."

"And if you do end up coming to Storybrooke, she's going to be pissed, at both of us," I sighed and raked a hand through my hair.

"We broke her heart Neal. When I came up with this plan, I saw Emma as a job, a means to an end. I had to get her to Storybrooke to break the curse, and that was it. I told myself I was looking out for her, but I think really I was just trying to ease my own guilt over leaving her when I was a kid. But that's not the way it is anymore. Emma's not a job, she's my sister, and when she finds out what we did I'm going to lose her." Now it was my turn to find something of interest on the ground.

"I'm sorry man," Neal mumbled eventually, I suspect just to fill the silence.

"I've never seen her this way Neal." I admitted, looking up to find him staring at his shoes once more. "Even when I first found her with you. I don't know if she decided to stay because of this guy or because she likes the town. What I do know is, as her brother, I'm happy to see her happy after so long. If he's contributing to that then I don't want anything to mess it up."

"I can understand that. I guess it might be better if I just stay away…" Neal trailed off, whether he was hoping for me to agree (which the selfish part of me very much did) or disagree, I wasn't sure.

"That's your choice to make, man. I'm not getting involved this time."

We were quiet for a moment, Neal playing nervously with his scarf. "Do you know who he was? Back home I mean."

I raised an eyebrow—this conversation was rapidly going way beyond generally asking about an ex. Was he really still in love with Emma? Could he be after all this time?

"No. Would it matter if I did though? I mean how long were you in Neverland? If there's anyone other than your father who you remember in that town, I'll be surprised," I pointed out.

"Fair point man... Have you seen him? My father?"

"Briefly, when we first got there. He goes by Mr. Gold now. I don't think he remembers who he was."

"He remembers," Neal said firmly, meeting my eyes for the first time. "Trust me. Be careful ok? Keep Emma away from him."

"I will," I promised. "Look man, I'm supposed to be packing up Emma's old apartment and I've taken quite the detour to come down here. I'm going to get back on the road, ok?"

"Yeah, of course. Thanks for coming."

"No problem. You take care of yourself." I shook his hand when he offered and couldn't help but lift a wad of bills from his pocket when I saw them. Really, a former thief should know better, especially in New York.

"You too, man. Have a safe trip. And August?"

"Yeah?"

"This guy, whoever he is, make sure he's good to her alright?"

I couldn't help but raise my eye brows at that, coming from Neal, but I didn't comment.

"Sure thing buddy. He's already had the _talk_."

With that, I mounted my bike and took off with a wave. As I was already in New York, I decided to pop in to see my publisher. It was only fair that I help Emma with the rent and I suspected that Regina was going to make getting a job in Storybrooke difficult just to spite our family. Plus, I wasn't ready to see my Papa just yet, so I couldn't exactly ask for work in his shop.

After talking my way in and improvising a pitch, I managed to get myself an online column in a travel magazine and the promise of a potential advance on a children's book (when all this was over Emma wouldn't mind me writing her story, right?).

I was feeling pretty pleased with myself, and was about to call Emma to tell her about it, when my phone rang. I recognised the Maine area code and frowned—Emma would call from her cell, so who else would be calling me from Maine?

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hello, is this Mr. August Booth?"

"Yeah, speaking. Who's this?"

"I'm calling from Storybrooke hospital-"

_Shit, _was my immediate response,_ what happened? Did the Evil Queen hurt Emma? Or Henry?_

"- I'm calling to inform you that we have admitted a Ms. Emma Swan and a Henry Swan. We were told you're Ms. Swan's next of kin?"

"Yeah, she's my sister. What happened? Are they ok?" I started running across the parking lot, trying to keep from panicking.

"They both sustained some injuries this evening in an earthquake," the woman explained.

"An earthquake?"

"Yes. Ms. Swan is still unconscious but Henry is awake. He's-"

"He needs an interpreter," I cut her off, knowing that if Emma wasn't around Henry wouldn't be talking. "My nephew's partially deaf and doesn't speak in stressful situations."

"Yes Mr. Booth we are aware of that, but we do not have an interpreter in Storybrooke. We have people looking into bringing someone in from Portland, but if it would be possible for you to come in we feel that would be best."

I kicked my bike in frustration. No one from Portland would be able to find Storybrooke.

"I'm hours away."

"There is something else Mr. Booth. Your Nephew has been asking for a Killian Jones. Mr. Jones has brought some of Henry's possessions in, but I'm afraid we cannot let him in or give him any information without your consent as he's not family."

Were they joking? They had a panicked, partially deaf child, alone and injured in a strange town and they were keeping a friend from him because of some stupid rules?

"Let him in," I all but growled. "Treat him as their emergency contact until I get there," I ordered, climbing onto my bike and attempting to hold the phone, start the engine and pull my helmet on all at once, "and pass my number on to him so he can keep me informed. Don't bring an interpreter in. Killian will be able to manage with Henry until I get there."

.

.

.

_**K**_

I dove for the door frame and tried to keep myself steady until the shaking stopped. Once the ground was steady I grabbed my prosthetic and fumbled with the fastenings as I hastily left the house. First, I looked for Emma's car—there was no sign of it, but I banged on the door of the formerly abandoned house just in case.

"Swan? Henry? Are you in there? Swan?"

When I was sure the house was empty I started jogging down the street, back towards Granny's. I cursed when my blasted phone started buzzing in my pocket, but figured it would be Ruby or Granny checking on me.

"'Lo?" I answered, barely faltering in my pace.

"Killian!" Ruby's voice sounded relatively calm, but the lack of teasing or hyperactive energy told a different story. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. I'm on my way to you. You and Granny alright?"

"We're ok. Granny fell, but she's more bothered about the broken crockery."

I chuckled breathlessly. "Well that's reassuring then." I barely glanced at the road before running across. Anyone driving had stopped in the quake anyways. "Is Swan there? And the lad?"

"They're not in the diner, I haven't seen them since you left. Do you want me to check upstairs?"

"I-" I didn't quite understand why was I so worried about a woman I barely knew, but the facts were that my first thoughts after the quake were of Emma and her boy. "If you could, lass. I'm sure they're fine though," I replied, pretty sure I was trying to convince myself more than Ruby.

"I'll be there soon to help out with the clean-up." With that I hung up, picked up the pace and sent a quick prayer, to whatever god was listening, that Emma and Henry were ok.

When I turned into the square I instantly saw the state of panic, and started weaving through the frantic townspeople. I could see one of the diner's windows had cracked and the neon sign fallen, but from the outside that was the worst of the damage. Once inside, I passed one of the waitresses sweeping the broken plates and glasses from the floor while Ruby did the same behind the counter in front of the empty cabinet, which usually housed about a hundred cups and glasses.

"What's the damage, lass?" I asked, approaching the counter.

Ruby turned at my voice. She'd pulled her previously perfect, pin straight hair into a messy bun at the back of her neck and a worried frown had replaced her usual mischievous smile, but there wasn't a scratch on her, so I took that as a blessing.

"The power's out and pretty much everything is broken, but there were no serious injuries," She smiled weakly. "I checked upstairs, no sign of Emma, Henry, or August."

I frowned. "August left town for a few days, but Emma and Henry were still here. Let me know if they come back ok? I'm going to see if enough of the spare plates and such survived for us to open tomorrow. Then I'll see if Granny needs help in the kitchen."

"You really like her, don't you?" Ruby called after me. I paused for barely a moment, but didn't answer. Yes, I did like Emma, but I hadn't had feelings for a woman in so long… It was the suddenness of whatever I was feeling that had somewhat unnerved me.

In the back room I started picking up the fallen boxes and was relieved to see that almost everything was intact. There's something to be said for copious amounts of bubble wrap. I spent what felt like hours cleaning up in there and taking inventory of what was usable before Ruby came rushing in, a mobile phone in her outstretched hand.

"Killian!" Mary Margret's voice scratched frantically through the speaker, "Emma and Henry are here in the hospital!" My head snapped up and I shoved the boxes aside to get to the outstretched cell.

"Are they alright?" I asked, and then mentally chastised myself. _They're in hospital, you pillock! Of course they're not alright!_

"Apparently Emma is unconscious, and Henry is asking for you," Ruby quickly replied. I blinked in surprise, why would he ask for me? "Mary Margret asked if you can sign with him?"

I frowned, didn't Henry have his hearing aid? "I've picked up a little in the past few days, but not well enough to really interpret. Tell them to stand to his left when they're talking to him, that's his good ear, and that I'll be there soon."

"Yeah, go. We've got this Killian." Ruby urged and stepped aside, relaying the message.

I left the store room, and headed for the closest exit, only to pause at the back door and rush back to the check in desk for the master key. Henry had left his backpack in the room before they left, but Emma would probably have anything the lad might need in there, right?

After being in the blasted hospital all of two minutes, I already wanted to punch Whale in the face.

"Why the bloody hell did you call me if you won't let me see the boy?" I exclaimed loud enough for the entire waiting room to hear.

"_We_ didn't call you, Jones; Ms. Blanchard did and she shouldn't have. It's against hospital protocol to speak to anyone who isn't family. I'm afraid we can't tell you anything," the bloody ponce insisted. "You're welcome to wait while we try to contact Ms. Swan's brother."

I breathed out, heavily, trying to keep a hold of my temper. "As much as I want to know how they're both doing, I am not asking you to tell me anything. I am asking you to let my see a young lad who is probably scared out of his mind, surrounded by strangers and who CAN'T HEAR A BLOODY WORD YOU'RE SAYING!"

"And you've already said you can't sign-" Whale was raising his voice too, though not quite as much as I was.

"MUCH! I don't sign much, but I know a damn sight more than you lot do!" I all but growled.

Mary Margret tentatively interrupted, "Killian?"

"What?" I snapped.

"Maybe getting angry isn't going to help? I probably shouldn't have called…" she mumbled

"Henry asked for me. You were right to call. And this bloody tosser-"

"Dr. Whale?" the receptionist interrupted (probably well timed as I'm sure the good doctor was getting ready to chuck me out). "We've reached Mr. Booth. He's appointed Mr. Jones as temporary emergency contact for Emma and Henry Swan.

I smirked humorlessly. "Well now that's settled, would you care to show me to the boy?" I grabbed his backpack from the front desk as we passed. "You can fill me in on Emma's condition on the way."

And he did, reluctantly, clearly upset about losing the argument. When we reached the cubicle Whale pulled the curtain aside to reveal a bed empty bar from Henry's scarf and a lone shoe.

A growl formed in the back of my throat as I turned to the doctor.

"Where the bloody hell is he?"


	20. Chapter 19

**So, About that few weeks I was taking off... Sorry?**

**Honestly, I'm really sorry I took so long, I honestly only expected the to be about 3 weeks before I posted this chapter, but then I got some major writers block, realised it have been months, forced myself to write a chapter, which turned out incredibly awful, but after sending it to my amazingly patient beta JJ, it did manage to inspire me to write this chapter. It's waaayy better now.**

**Thanks for you're patience. **

**Thanks to those who reviewed, I love you guys.**

**And Thanks to JJ as always.**

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own Once Upon A Time, or any of the characters. Alas I cannot pay any claim to the utter sexiness that is Killian Jones/Hook/Colin O'Donoghue :(**

**Enjoy :)**

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><p><em><strong>Bold italics<strong>_****are signing without speaking out loud, signing and talking will be pointed out in the narrative when signing starts. Accept Henry, he's always signing, and Emma and August always sign when Henry is there, unless otherwise stated.

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><p><em><strong>K<strong>_

"How the hell do you lose a child?! What kind of place is this?!" I yelled at the doctor unable to comprehend how anybody could be so ridiculously incompetent.

"Jones-"

"Don't 'Jones' me, Whale," I spat out. "You better hope we find him and that no harm has come to that boy or so help me," I threatened, only inches away from the eejit's face.

Whale swallowed thickly, but tried to hide his obvious intimidation under his usual cocky facade. "To be clear _Jones, _Henry was already harmed when he got here. This is a hospital after all."

I raised an eyebrow, incredulously. "Is that supposed to lessen your colossal screw up, _Doctor_? Why don't you stop digging yourself a hole and help me find the boy?"

With that I turned on my heel and pushed past a worried Mary Margret, who mumbled something about checking the wards.

"Where's Emma?" I snapped, after a brief scan of the emergency room offered no sight of the lad. "Henry probably went looking for her."

"She was taken to an examination room to stop the bleeding, it's just on the corner."

I first looked through the window of the room Whale indicated, and my breath caught at the sight of Emma, deathly pale and still unconscious as several nurses and a doctor rushed around, fetching unspeakable amounts of gauze in attempt to stop the blood gushing from her thigh. It was no use though. The blood just kept coming. The thick, dark red fluid staining her creamy white thigh as it continued to pool and drip over her skin with no sign of slowing down. I swallowed the thick lump in my throat, forgetting about Henry for a moment. When Whale told me Emma had collapsed due to blood loss… it sounded so _minor!_ But faced with the reality of how much blood she was _still_ losing…

"Is she going to make it?" I asked, barely a whisper, part of me not wanting to know the answer.

"I've not been treating Ms. Swan, but from the looks of it, her femoral artery may have been nicked; they are trying to keep control of the bleeding until they can get the tools they need to suction the wound and get a better look at the damage and fix it." I swallowed again, the seriousness of Whale's tone alone was enough for me to fear for Emma's life. The thought of losing her made bile rise in my throat. I couldn't lose her!

"She's in the best hands, Killian," the doctor assured me softly. "Why don't we focus on finding her kid? There's nothing else you can do right now."

I nodded and cleared my throat, turning away from the woman who had come to mean so much to me, so quickly, and did my best to force the horrific scene to the back of my mind. "Henry saw the orderlies bring her down here?"

"Yes, she was in his cubical when she collapsed."

I looked back in the direction we'd came.

"He couldn't have seen the room from there, and if he'd turned down this corridor he would have seen his mother and tried to go in, but he's not here. So he must have carried on straight down," I deduced aloud and walked right past the doctor once more.

_She'll be fine,_ I told myself. _Emma's a tough lass, she'll get through this, and she'd want for somebody to put the lad first in the meantime._

I all but jogged down the corridor, looking into every room and agonising over which way Henry would have gone at every corner. As small a town as Storybrooke was, the hospital suddenly seemed so big!

Should I skip over the oncology ward? Did Henry know what that meant? If he did, was he scared enough to think his mother might have some kind of tumour? Was he even reading the signs while so distracted by the need to find his mum? I just didn't know.

So I checked anyway, then cursed myself for wasting time by looking in such a ridiculously unlikely place, and continued my frantic search throughout the rest of the damned building.

That was, until I heard a worried voice shout behind me. "Henry wait! You'll hurt-"

I turned just in time to feel a small body crash into my stomach and squeeze me around the waist.

"Henry," I exhaled in relief and returned the boy's embrace, cradling his head as my worry fell away, even if just for a moment.

.

.

.

_**H**_

I covered my ears, as I walked through the hospital, getting a headache from trying to focus on all the different noises.

_Come on Mom, where are you?_ I thought as I turned down another corridor. It felt like I'd been searching for her forever!

_Where did they take you?_

Two nurses were talking in front of me, and I tried to hear what they were saying, but I just couldn't make it out! So I opened my mouth to call out to them but it was like the words just got stuck and wouldn't come out. It was always like that when something bad happened and I hated it! Why couldn't I talk? Why couldn't I find my Mom?

So I followed the nurses, trying to catch up but my ankle still hurt and I just wasn't fast enough! Then suddenly the nurses went through a door which needed a passcode so I was stuck in some other part of the hospital and I didn't even know how I got there!

I looked around and saw I was in one of those big wards, like on TV, with people laying in beds on either side, but none of them were my mom. Only in this one, there was another door at the end, leading to a glass room, maybe mom was in there? So I limped over, the pain in my ankle getting worse and worse until my eyes started to water and sting, but I just gritted my teeth and blinked them away. Crying wasn't going to help find Mom. Only babies cried and I wasn't a baby anymore! I couldn't be a baby, I had to take care of Mom!

Once I got to the glass door, I pushed straight through without looking inside, and slumped when I saw there was just a blonde man in a bed, surrounded by machines. I could make out a beeping noise, which just made my headache even worse, but by this time my ankle was throbbing, so I limped the last few steps to the chair by the bed and collapsed into it, rubbing my ankle. Maybe the man would wake up and he'd be able to help me find Mom?

I felt a hand on my shoulder all of a sudden and jumped in my seat.

It was only Miss Blanchard, though. I tried again to ask about Mom but the words got stuck again, so I started to sign, wincing as it stretched the stiches in my hand.

_**Where's Mom?**_

Miss Blanchard looked worried, and started to say something but I couldn't make anything out because she was going so fast!

_**I can't hear. Where's Mom?**_

I knew that Miss Blanchard couldn't understand me signing, but when I opened my mouth to talk the words just wouldn't come out. Signing was really hurting my bad hand now, and nobody could understand, but there was no other way I could talk!

I just didn't know what to do!

Then Miss Blanchard put her arm around me and pulled me out of the chair, before she helped me over to a desk. She said something to a nurse, who went and got me a wheel chair. I huffed but sat in it, happy to get the weight off my ankle. I kept signing _**Mom**_, hoping somebody would at least know that sign, but if anyone did they didn't try to tell me anything. I was getting annoyed at being ignored, and thinking about just grabbing the rails on the wheelchair to get Miss Blanchard's attention when I saw Killian at the other end of the corridor.

I jumped up and started to run, ignoring the pain in my ankle. I didn't care—Killian was here! He'd help me find my mom. Killian turned round and saw me just before I crashed into him and hugged him tight around the waist. I was just so glad that somebody was here to help me! Killian hugged me back and straight away I felt better. I wasn't alone.

After a moment Killian pushed gently on my shoulders and I stepped back to look up at him. He knelt down in front of me, but shuffled a little to my left, placing himself by my good ear and I smiled. Killian was somebody I could talk to.

"Henry, are you ok?" Killian signed. He was slow and hesitated a bit, but at least I could understand him.

_**I'm ok, **_I nodded. _**Where's my Mom?**_

"Your Mum is-," he stopped and looked down at the floor.

_**She's ok, isn't she?**_ I asked, suddenly scared again. Mom _had_ to be ok!

"Henry, w-" I didn't quite hear what he said next, but I saw what looked like the sign for chair – I couldn't be sure because of his fake hand -and he pointed behind me. I turned and saw that Miss Blanchard had caught up with me, and still had the wheel chair.

Reluctantly, I sat down and turned back to Killian.

_**Where's Mom? What's wrong?**_ I could feel the tears forming in my eyes again, and desperately tried to blink them away, but a few fell anyway. Killian reached out and wiped them away and gave me a reassuring smile, but I could tell it was forced. I realised that even though he was smiling at me, Killian looked scared and that terrified me.

_**Killian what's wrong? Where's Mom?**_ I was signing faster now, starting to panic as more tears started falling.

"Henry calm down. Please," he signed. "Your mum is with the d-" he cut off, looking at his hands as they froze in between us. He looked back at me and gestured to the man behind him, who I recognised as the doctor who stitched my hand.

I realised Killian didn't know the sign.

_**Doctor?**_

"Aye lad," he smiled at me. "Your mum is with the doctors. She got glass in her leg and was-" he paused again before starting to finger spell. _**B-L-E-E-D-I-N-G A lot.**_

I nodded, and looked down at my hands. The bad one was really sore now.

_**Is she going to be ok?**_

"Of course Henry," he promised. "The doctors will take good care of her. How about we go back to your bed, and wait until we can see her, aye?"

I bit my lip, I just wanted to see my mom, but I trusted Killian, so if he said she'd be ok, I believed him. We'd just have to wait.

.

.

.

It seemed like we'd been waiting forever!

Me and Killian were sitting on a hospital bed and I was showing him my scrap book. I knew he'd only asked about it to try and take my mind off my mom, but it wasn't really working. We both kept looking up every time a nurse walked past to check on one of the other kids, (Dr. Whale had moved us to the children's ward, saying that they needed the emergency room beds for other people) and at the clock too. Killian's knee was bouncing impatiently, and I only noticed that I was tapping my pencil on the notepad that Miss Blanchard gave me when it started to hurt my stiches.

_When will we be able to see Mom?_ I wrote on the pad.

"Soon lad," Killian signed, "We have to let the doctors help her first. Just try to be patient, ok?"

I nodded, but I knew that Killian was just as worried as I was.

"Where's this one from?" he asked, pointing a postcard in my scrapbook.

_Uncle August sent me it from Budapest last year._

I turned the scrapbook a little, so that he could read the stories Uncle August and I had written underneath.

"You're Uncle certainly seems to get about doesn't he?"

I nodded.

"Do you always carry this book around, or were you just showing it to your new friends?"

I reached for the notepad and began to write, Killian and Miss Blanchard had told me not to sign anymore, because I accidentally ripped my stiches in the emergency room. Writing still hurt them a bit, but it didn't pull at them like signing did. As I still couldn't get my words out, this would have to do.

_I always have it with me, but I did show it to Danny at school._

"I'm sure he was quite impressed. Why do you keep it with you? If you don't mind my asking?"

_It's just me and Mom most of the time, which is great, but sometimes I miss having Uncle August around. I wish I could travel with him, go on his adventures and see new things, but Mom says I'm too young. So I keep the book with me, and when I get bored, or I miss Uncle August, I turn my hearing aid off and read about all the places he's been, and I imagine that I'm there with him. Having my own adventures, and seeing castles and palaces, trying weird foods… all the stuff he does._

Killian smiled—really smiled, like he normally does – for the first time since I saw him in the corridor. "It sounds like you have quite the imagination Henry. Maybe once you and your mum are better we can have some adventures of our own, aye?"

I smiled and nodded, and Killian ruffled my hair, before looking up at the end of my bed. Ruby was stood there, she was smiling at us, and waved at me before she started talking to Killian.

"How- s he?"

I sighed and leaned back against the pillows. I hated it when people spoke like I wasn't there. _I'm partially death, not invisible,_ I grumbled, thinking that I might as well go back to looking at my scrapbook, when I felt Killian's hand on my shoulder.

"I'll do my best to-" he started to sign but stopped and frowned. _**I-N-T-E-R-P-R-E-T**_ "But I'm new at this. Try to bear with me, yeah?"

And I felt like hugging him. No body but Mom and Uncle August ever thought to interpret for me, hearing people just didn't think like that.

I smiled and nodded, then started to pay more attention. Focusing on Killian's hands, he was slow and had to keep stopping to finger spell the words he couldn't sign, but it was good enough for me to understand what they were saying.

"How are you doing Henry?" Ruby asked, I gave a thumb's up and smiled but she frowned and looked at Killian.

"Henry's not talking much," Killian told her, "but we're getting along just fine with a notepad and a few signs, aren't we lad?"

I nodded again and reached for my pad.

_Was anyone else hurt in the earthquake?_

"A few cuts and-" _**B-R-U-I-S-E-S**_ Ruby said. "Nothing too serious. I think the biggest-" _**V-I-C-T-I-M-S**_ "were Granny's plates."

I laughed and nodded.

"We've got most of that-" _**C-L-E-A-N-E-D**_ "up now, so there's no need to-" _**W-O-R-R-Y.**_

Ruby moved to sit in the chair by my bed. I think Killian might have told her to, so I could hear her better. "So I took a look around your room Henry. I hope you don't mind. I was hoping to find your-" _**H-E-A-R-I-N-G A-I-D**_ "Do you know where it is?"

I shook my head.

_I think it fell out in the earthquake. We were at Mr. Gold's shop._

"OK, do you have a-" _**S-P-A-R-E**_ "one?" Killian asked.

_In the car. Mom keeps it in the glove box for when I forget._

"Ruby," Killian asked, "Could you find Whale for us? I need to see if Emma's keys are with her-" _**E-F-F-E-C-T-S**_

Ruby nodded and said something else I didn't catch before walking down the hall.

"I know you don't want to talk Henry, and that's fine. But I'm barely keeping up. Honestly, I don't think I'm signing half the words right anyway, so the sooner we can find your hearing aid the better, aye?"

I nodded again.

_You're not doing too bad. Most of what you sign is making sense. I know there's somethings you don't know how to sign, but you did only start learning a few days ago. And when you finger spell the words you don't know, you do it faster than Uncle August! How did you learn so fast?_

Kilian chuckled. "I guess I'm just a fast learner. I'll admit to looking on a few ASL websites over the past few days. I figured that if Storybrooke is going to be your new home, we should make some effort to learn your language."

_Thank you._

.

.

.

_**K**_

In the few minutes Henry and I waited for Ruby and Whale to return, our worry for Emma came flooding back. _Surely they must have some news by now._

Luckily, we didn't have to wait too long.

"I have Ms. Swan's effects" Whale waved a plastic bag as if to prove his words. "I just need you to sign for them."

"Any news on Emma?" I asked as I scrawled my name, then remembered I was supposed to be interpreting, and looked at Henry apologetically. "And please stand to the left so Henry can hear you."

"I've spoken to her doctor," the doctor nodded. "Luckily there was no damage to the artery, but the glass in Ms. Swan's leg came very close. She's lost a lot of blood, so we're giving her a transfusion right now, but the bleeding has stopped and the wound is stitched up. She'll make a full recovery."

I let out the breath I didn't realise I was holding, and turned to Henry.

_**Your Mum's going to be ok.**_

His shoulders relaxed, all the tension from waiting seeping away before my eyes. I put my arm out to steady him as he reached across the bed for his notepad and flipped through the pages, to one he'd already written.

_When can I see my Mom?_

"Soon Henry," Whale promised. "I'll come and get you as soon as she's allowed visitors. For now though, why don't you let me check you over again? All that running around you did made that twisted ankle much worse."


	21. Chapter 20

_**Hi all, so sorry this has taken so long, I've actually had it ready for a while but wanted to have the next chapter done before I posted - this is kind of a filler. Alas we cannot always get what we want. Uni has been a nightmare these passed months.**_

_**Thanks for the reviews/follows/favourites!**_

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><p><em><strong>Bold italics<strong>_****are signing without speaking out loud, signing and talking will be pointed out in the narrative when signing starts. Accept Henry, he's always signing, and Emma and August always sign when Henry is there, unless otherwise stated.

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><p><em><strong>E<strong>_

The first thing I noticed as I woke up was the pounding headache. I mean really, I hadn't even moved or opened my eyes but the dizziness and pulsing behind my temples was almost unbearable!

"Henry?" I tried to call out but my throat was so dry that it just came out as a choked rasp.

"Hey," a familiar voice, that I couldn't quite place, whispered and I felt someone touch my hand, "easy there Swan, let me get you some water."

I finally managed to prize my eyes open, blinked against the sudden brightness, and met a pair of soft blue eyes just as a straw was pressed to my lips. I opened my mouth just enough to sip and almost groaned at how good the cool water felt on my throat.

"Killian?" I asked confused about why he was here. "Where's Henry? Is he ok?"

"He's just fine love," Killian assured me and nodded towards a chair across the room, where I saw my little boy curled up, fast asleep. "He fell asleep about an hour ago but he's just fine. Mostly he's just been worried about you," he smiled fondly.

"What happened?"

"It seems you were so worried about your boy that you didn't realise that you had a bloody great shard of glass in your leg. You lost a fair bit of blood, Swan," he explained. "Gave us quite a scare."

"Sorry?" I offered, earning a chuckle from the cook.

I tried to ease myself up but gasped at the sharp pain in my thigh and another wave of dizziness.

"Careful Swan," Killian chastised as he stepped forward to help me into sitting position.

"I got it!" I snapped, causing Killian to freeze. "I'm sorry," I sighed. "I'm not used to accepting help I guess."

"S'alright," he smiled. "We all get a little moody when we're not feeling well. I won't hold it against you."

"What are you doing here?" I frowned, only then realising that he shouldn't be.

"Well, with you out of commission and August out of town, apparently it was me that Henry asked for. I grabbed his bag from your room and brought it in for him. After some harsh words were exchanged between Dr. Whale and myself someone got a hold of your brother who appointed me as your emergency contact. At least until he gets here." Killian explained. "Don't worry, I haven't had to make any important decisions. I've mostly just been babysitting your lad."

"Mostly?" I asked, worried that something might have happened while I was out.

"Your lad went on a walk about briefly, and he ripped his stiches so we had to ask him not to sign-"

"You what!" I snapped. "How would you like it if I told you not to talk buddy? Signing is his language! You can't tell him to stop just because it inconveniences you!"

"Woah woah woah! Calm down love" Killian held his hands up as if to surrender. "It's not like that. He was hurting himself Emma. I didn't like having to tell him not to talk to us, I felt bloody awful about it but he didn't just rip his stitches, he had torn the original wound. Dr. Whale said that he could have damaged his ligaments or something if he didn't rest it. Surely it's better not to risk any more damage?"

I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. I knew I was over reacting, but just the thought of Henry being alone and unable to communicate…

"I'm sorry," I exhaled. "I'm sorry it's just-"

"I know love," Killian smiled and perched himself on the side of the hospital bed. "I get it. I promise you, he's not been alone since. I've been with him and we gave him a notepad so he could still talk to us… He's ok Swan. Just worried for his mum."

I looked over and saw how peaceful Henry looked, despite the cramped, surely uncomfortable hospital chair.

"Thank you Killian," he only nodded in response before we fell into silence.

I watched Henry sleep and tried to pretend I couldn't feel Killian's soft gaze on me, at least until I realised what Killian had said.

"Wait, where is August? How long have I been out?" I frowned, looking to the door as if he'd appear there.

"He's on his way. You've been unconscious for a fair few hours, so he shouldn't be too much longer. I could call to see how far away he is if you'd like?"

"If he's not here…" I trailed off confused. "How have you been talking to Henry?" Killian opened his mouth to answer but another voice beat him to it.

"Turns out Killian's been holding out on us." We both looked up to see Ruby leaning against the door frame. "I mean I've known this guy forever and I didn't know he could sign until he started interpreting earlier."

"You did?" my eyes widened as I looked back to the cook, who was now sheepishly scratching behind his ear.

"I tried. I mean I only started to learn ASL when I met you lot the other day," Killian explained. "I'm afraid I had to resort to fingerspelling a lot, but I didn't want the lad to feel ignored."

I was completely speechless. How could this man who was hardly more than a stranger to us have invested so much of his time in making Henry more comfortable here? Why? I would have been suspicious if not for the fact that I was so touched. I don't know how long I stared at him, searching for words but luckily a sudden shout meant I didn't have to.

"Mom!"

.

.

.

_**K**_

The sudden tension between Emma and I was broken at her lad's exclamation. I stepped back to allow him to climb onto the bed with his mother, and found myself awkwardly hovering on the edge of a private moment between mother and son. I decided it was probably best to leave and turned to usher Ruby out, only for another figure to appear in the doorway.

"Emma," August breathed out in relief as he limped into the room. "Are you guys ok?" he asked, eyes flicking between his sister and nephew.

"We're fine," Emma assured him, pulling Henry into a tighter embrace, as if trying to reassure herself. "What the hell happened to your leg?" she asked, gesturing towards his limp.

"What? Oh that, I may have kicked my bike in frustration when the hospital called."

With that I cleared my throat and bid the small Swan-Booth family farewell, recognising that for now at least, my presence was not required, and led Ruby out into the corridor.

"You know I'm sure they'd be happy if we stayed," Ruby stated. "I mean Henry clearly likes you and August must trust you if he left you responsible for them. As for Emma, well at the very least she owes you now. Why run away? You obviously like her."

"For starters, Emma owes me nothing. Anyone would have helped Henry out if they could, I just happened to be the only one around that could." I pointed out. "And as for my leaving, there's a difference between running away and recognising someone's need for privacy. A skill you have yet to master."

"Hey!" Ruby protested, indignantly. "I know when people need their privacy."

"So it's just a lack of respect for it that's the issue then?" I teased.

"You're an ass," she retorted, "and you're deflecting. Why are you leaving? If this is just about Emma's privacy then why didn't you just offer to go on a coffee run or something?"

"Because Ruby," I sighed, "Emma is not the sort of woman who accepts anyone's help easily. If I stay here now, try and insert myself anymore into her life, then I fear it would only result in her pushing me away."

"So you admit it!" Ruby spun on her heel to block my path, pointing an accusatory finger at me with a triumphant smile. "You admit that you want to be in her life?"

I tipped my head back and let out a long sigh, wondering why I put up with this woman.


End file.
